Magpie
by I Hate Wednesdays
Summary: The Elric brother's stumble across a young girl who endured the same fate they went through. Taking pity on her, they take her to live with Granny Pinako. Maggie wishes to help the brother's get their bodies back, as payment for helping her, but one of her lungs was taken from her. Ed isn't surprised when his younger brother beings to grow a fondness for the tiny redhead. Al/Oc
1. Chapter 1

**OMG! This is my first FMA fanfic, please be kind! I don't own anything but Sophira and Maggie Westfield! Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Thanks!**

**Enjoy!**

CHAPTER ONE:

The sickness hadn't started suddenly. It was gradual. At first the symptoms were like those of a head cold, something that would just pass over time. But they didn't. They got progressively worse until she was coughing up blood and vomiting every morsel of food she had consumed. The doctors didn't know what to make of it. There wasn't a cure. No way to fight it.

Maggie sat at her sister's bedside throughout the entire sickness. She was only twenty-three, far too young to die.

"At least I'll leave a beautiful corpse." Her sister had wheezed a few days before she passed.

She held her hand tightly, like if she never let go, her sister could continue to stay there with her. Sophira was her only remaining family member. Her father was killed by friendly fire during some skirmish in some far away land and her mother had died after giving birth to her. Sophira was all she had left.

And then she was gone.

She died in her sleep. Maggie had fallen asleep, unable to keep her eyes open anymore. Her head was resting on the bed, her hand still clasping her sister's cold and clammy hand. When the morning rays of light peeked through the curtains and kissed her cheeks, she rose groggily. Sophira was still asleep; her eyes closed lightly, her lips parted. Her older sister looked peaceful, like the pain she was suffering for so long had subsided.

A month after Sophira was buried, with full military honors, Maggie found herself preparing for something she'd only read in books. A few of her sister's friends were at Central and unable to visit during her sickness. No one came to claim Maggie and take her into a new home. She was alone.

Chalk dusted her fingers; her dress was soaked from the water she had carried into the living room. Soot stained her cheeks and her thick red hair was beginning to fall out of her braid. She double checked the book; re-reading every oddly curved word and inscription. Her tiny hands touched the chalk circle, then pulled back. Green eyes scanned over the page again. She took a deep breath then placed her hands back down on the chalk.

She screamed, something was tearing at her left arm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Warning: there most likely will be Roy/Riza and Ed/Winry and Al/OC from this point on. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER TWO:

There was a tap at Mustang's door. Ed glanced back over his shoulder towards the door as it opened. Hawkeye entered, pausing with her hand resting on the doorknob.

"Sir, I think you'll want to see this." Her eyes drifted to the boy seated in front of the Colonel. "You, too."

Ed stared at the girl resting on the hospital bed. A nurse sat by her side, trying to quiet her. The girl kept mumbling words that he couldn't hear from the threshold. Her eyes were bandaged and her left arm was missing. Her chest heaved with every wheezing breath. The girl seemed so young, most likely Al's age.

"Who did this to her?" Ed asked hoarsely, not wanting to watch the poor girl struggle to breathe anymore.

Hawkeye ushered the two out of the room, the nurse casting a sorrowful gaze at Ed before the door shut. The Lieutenant took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"No one did it to her. According to the officers that found her, they believe that she was trying to attempt human transmutation."

Ed felt his heart shudder within his chest. "W-what?"

"However, it appears as though she stopped before it was complete. Whoever she was trying to bring back, didn't come back." Hawkeye handed a photo to Ed.

It was clearly of the girl in the room next to them. She was hugging a young woman with the same bright green eyes. While the girl had long red hair, as dark as blood, the other girl had auburn hair twisted into a braided bun. She was wearing a uniform with a State Alchemist pocket watch visible from her breast pocket. Was this who the girl was trying to bring back?

Hawkeye took another breath, her eyes clouding over in sadness. "They found this near her body. Apparently her name is Magdalena Westfeild. The woman next to her is her sister, Sophira, who died of an illness about a month and a half ago. The doctors say that not only did she lose her left arm, but also her left lung and eye."

"Christ," Mustang muttered under his breath.

"When will she be out of the hospital?" Ed asked, his grip tightening against the glossy paper of the photo.

"Tomorrow. They've stopped the internal bleeding and did what they could with her eye. Everything else just needs to heal a little."

"We'll take her with us." Ed stated, turning on his heel before either of them could object or ask questions.

He didn't want another person to go through the hell he and Al had gone through. He'd help her the best way he could, and he knew a pretty good automail mechanic.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes.**

CHAPTER THREE:

Maggie stared out the window of the train, watching the fleeting colors of the countryside. She hadn't said a single word since she was discharged from the hospital a few days prior. Ed had tried to be friendly to her and explain why she was going with them, but no emotion flashed through her dim eye. She had, oddly enough, gazed up at Al with wonder when Armstrong had carried him onto the train. It was like she'd never seen a suit of armor before.

Armstrong asked her where she was from, but she ignored him. When they unexpectedly stopped and went in search of Dr. Marcoh, she obediently followed them. Still, she hadn't said a word. Not that Ed was paying any attention when they had finally found the Doctor. When he was busy talking, she sat quietly next to Al on the floor, by his crate.

Al watched the girl beside him with curiosity. She was short, maybe a head taller than Granny Pinako, and doll-like. Ed had explained what had happened to her and why she was going along with them.

"That girl doesn't have a family anymore," Ed had mumbled darkly.

Al wondered what else would have been taken from her if she had gone through with the whole transmutation. Her left eye was covered by a bandage and her left sleeve hung lamely. She appeared to have lost all hope in living.

Again, she followed them silently while they made their way back to the train station. During the ride, Al watched as her eye grew heavy and she fell asleep, resting her head on Armstrong. Her mouth hung open a little and her chest heaved unnaturally.

"She hasn't said a single word. I'm beginning to wonder if she's angry with us." Armstrong said, glancing down at the sleeping girl by his side.

"Why would she be angry with us?" Al questioned.

"Because we're taking pity on her." Ed muttered from his spot by the window, his chin resting in his palm. "She's too strong willed. She doesn't want pity for the mistakes she's made."


	4. Chapter 4

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Thanks! Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes.**

CHAPTER FOUR:

Ed carried Maggie on his back all the way to the Rockbell home. She had woken up when the train stopped, but was so groggy from sleep that she didn't even know where she was. Eventually she fell asleep again.

Winry eyed the strange girl sleeping on their couch with shock and curiosity. Right off the bat she knew that the girl was there for a replacement arm. But Winry ogled over the challenge of making an eye, one that wouldn't ruin the girl's face. She was already going to be pulling three all-nighter's working on Ed's arm, she'd have to wait. Pinako decided to start working on a few bits for the girl's new arm in the meantime.

"I'm sorry to bother you like this." Ed confessed to Pinako.

"The girl's been through hell. We'll be glad to get her back on her feet." The old woman frowned. "Does she have a family to go back to?"

"No,"

"She'll stay with us and help me around the house. That'll be how she can repay her debt to us."

The next morning Maggie awoke in a strange house. She could hear someone in the kitchen cooking and wood being chopped somewhere outside. Rubbing the sleep out of her eye, she quietly crept passed the kitchen and out the front door.

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning." Al greeted as the door closed behind her.

Maggie gave him that same bewildered gaze. She crouched in front of him and pressed a finger against his metal chest plate. "Wow, a soul bonded to an object. I've only seen it in books."

"So you do talk." Al chirped happily.

Maggie glared up at him. "Of course I talk."

"Sorry." Al murmured, shifting his gaze somewhere else.

"You did it too, didn't you?" she whispered, lowering her gaze to the dirt at her bare toes. "You tried to bring someone back, huh?"

"Yeah, I lost my body but brother put my soul into this suit of armor so…" he let his sentence drift off.

Maggie sat down, resting her back against him. She didn't say another word. Al sighed; he wasn't good at talking with girls. Sometimes he even had trouble talking to Winry, but she was like family. He sighed in dismay. The girl finally talks and he can't keep the conversation going.

Eventually Pinako called Maggie inside for a haunt through Winry's old clothes. In the attic, Pinako pulls out a vast amount of dresses, skirts, shirts, socks, shoes, and jeans. They found a few that Maggie liked and at least one pair of PJ's that were warm enough for the chilly nights. Maggie simply nodded her head in thanks and watched quietly as Pinako rifled through more clothes. A silver button caught the girl's eye and she was quick to slip it into her pocket.

After she had bathed and changed into a fresh pair of clothes, Maggie wandered around the house and yard. Pinako glanced back at her as she admired the photos and lightly ran her finger tips across the glossy surface. She asked who the boy was with Ed, and Pinako had to explain that that was what Al really looked like. When the old woman wasn't looking, Maggie slipped a photo into her pocket.

She circled the perimeter of the yard three times, before slipping back into the house for dinner. Armstrong spotted her crouching by the ground, digging up the earth with a stick. Al saw her out at the tree at the edge of the yard, staring up at the branches above her head. When Ed made his way home from his mother's grave, he spotted her. They froze mid-step, watching each other like two stray dogs debating over whether to fight over territory or not. After a moment, Maggie disappeared behind the old house.

That night, since there wasn't any spare rooms, Maggie slept in Winry's bed, considering the all-nighters she was going to pull. When midnight clocked in on Maggie's internal clock, she sat up in bed, and turned to Winry. She was still working on the arm and the noise and light were keeping her awake. With a low growl, Maggie collected her pillows and blanket and left.

Ed and Al were talking about one thing or another when the door opened. Without a single word from any of them, Maggie pushed Al towards the corner of the room, placed a pillow on his lap and one against the wall. She wrapped herself up in her blanket and used Al as her make-shift bed.

"Good night," she said sleepily.


	5. Chapter 5

**PLEASE REVIEW. IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Thanks! Enjoy and sorry for any mistakes.**

CHAPTER FIVE:

With his replacement arm, Ed quickly fixed Al. Maggie watched on with a dark look in her eyes. Ed smiled at his work then glance to his side, his grin fading at the dullness of Maggie's green eyes. Her shoulders hitched upwards, her head dropping low, her chin pressing against her chest. Slowly, her hand gripped Ed's wrist.

"You can perform alchemy with an automail arm," She wheezed, releasing her grip. "Thank god."

Ed smiled and ruffled her hair. It was odd, seeing her in one of Winry's old dresses. He was used to seeing the crybaby blond in the patchwork dress, not the silent redhead.

"When you get your new arm you can show us what kind of alchemy you can do, Magdalena." Al said cheerfully.

Maggie opened her mouth to order him to call her Maggie instead, when Pinako stormed onto the porch.

"She won't be getting an automail arm from me unless I get an explanation." The old woman dropped a cloth bag onto the floor with a thunk.

Out poured marbles, buttons, pieces of jewelry, coins, photos, flowers, silverware, and colored gems. While Pinako stood with her fists on her hips and Ed and Al picked through the contents of the bag, Maggie stood with her hand balled into a fist. She didn't feel ashamed. Collecting things was just what she did. It was a sort of hobby she'd had ever since she could walk.

"Hey," Al chirped, flashing the photo to his brother. "This is a photo of us."

When all eyes turned to Maggie, she was quick to wipe the tears away from her cheek. "I wasn't stealing, if that's what you think."

She really wanted Sophira. She'd know what to do. She was always better with people. Maggie was the introvert, often finding it hard to open up with people and talk about her feelings. Sophira could always read her like a book. She understood Maggie better than anyone.

"I just…" the lump in her throat was making it hard for her to breathe. "I just like to collect things. They all seemed really pretty and unique and I just…"

No. She wasn't going to say she was sorry. There was nothing for her to be ashamed about.

Pinako sighed and entered the house again. Maggie wiped away her tears and hiccupped once or twice. The metal taste in her mouth told her to calm down before she started to cough up blood. Al stood and went to Maggie, couching beside her. His large finger wiped away a droplet that was running along her jawline. For a second he was afraid that his monstrous hand would hurt her. But she hiccupped and looked up at him. Never in his life had he met someone with eyes as green as hers. It was like they were cut from the finest emerald and as clear as a marsh.

When Pinako stepped out onto the porch again, Al stood. Maggie reached up and held onto one of Al's fingers. He reminded her of Sophira and it was comforting to know he wasn't angry with her. Pinako hobbled down the steps, scoped the contents of the bag into a pretty oak box, and made her way to Maggie.

"Here," she gave the box to Maggie, who was reluctant to let go of Al. "You can keep your treasures in here, as long as you don't sell them for money."

Maggie was speechless.

All her life she was surrounded by people who could care less about her wellbeing. Sophira was the only one who cared. The light at the end of the stormy tunnel. No one wanted to take care of her when her sister died. No one cared. But Ed had taken pity on her. He was giving her a second chance. A place to stay. A home.

"Thank you," she mumbled, her voice cracking. "Thank you so much."


	6. Chapter 6

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Thanks! Enjoy! Sorry for any mistakes!**

CHAPTER SIX:

That night, instead of sleeping in Winry's bed, Maggie made herself a nest of pillows and blankets on Al's lap. Ed had started to snap at Maggie, telling her that his brother wasn't a chair, but Al told him he didn't mind. She thanked him, but it was barely above a whisper and she didn't care if he heard her or not.

Ed and Al talked a little, their voices only faint mumbles and mutters. She'd drifted in and out of sleep a few times. The words "Philosopher's Stone" was used a lot, she'd discovered. Rubbing the sleep out of her eye, she shifted and rested her cheek against the cool metal of Al's chest.

"So you're looking for the Philosopher's Stone." She said, yawning.

If Al had been in his own body, he would have been blushing from head to toe. "Magdalena, hey… you should be asleep."

She sleepily knocked her knuckles against his chest. "Call me Maggie. Magdalena is too old fashioned."

Ed sat up, resting his metal arm on his knee. He frowned. "Don't tell me you're looking for it, too."

Maggie chuckled. "Sure I'd like my eye and lung back, but I was the idiot that did this to myself. Why risk my life some more for a fairy tale?"

"It's not a fairy tale!" Ed snapped.

"Brother," Al started weakly.

"I'm gonna get Al's body back and I don't care about the risks!" He rolled his jaw, clenching his hand- his flesh and blood hand, into a tight fist.

Maggie yawned again, wiggling closer to Al and fluffing a pillow. "I never said I doubted you. I just said that I have no intention of getting my body parts back, that's all."

"But wouldn't you like to have both your eyes back? Or your arm? Or lung?" Al asked, looking down at the girl curled in his arms.

God was she tiny. She fit perfectly in his lap; her head nestled in the crook of his arm. Her blood red hair spilt over his arm and across the blankets and pillows, like little rivers of crimson. The freckles on her skin reminded him of stones on a sandy beach. The white bandage was still wrapped around her head, hiding the black hole that once held another marble-like eye.

Before dinner he accidentally caught her and Granny Pinako washing out the wound. She had quickly blushed and turned away when she noticed him in the doorway. Her eye socket was red and raw, but there was still an eyelid. It was gruesome and awful to look at and he felt terrible for seeing it.

Maggie yawned again. "I would. But compared to you, Al, I'd say you were the one that needs more flesh and blood than me or your brother."

"Maggie…" Ed murmured from the bed.

Both brothers struggled to find something to say. Something to add. But neither could find the right words. After a few minutes, Al glanced down again. She had fallen back asleep, her tiny lips parted. He didn't fail to notice how her chest heaved as she breathed, the one lung she had left working overtime. Her cheek was still pressed against his chest and he couldn't help brushing a finger lightly across her cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

**Short, but eh. Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. Thanks! Enjoy!**

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Maggie was awake the morning Ed and Al left with Armstrong. She stood patiently beside Pinako while she wished the boys luck. Before he left, Ed made her promise to practice her alchemy so that the next time he turned up, she could spare with him. She happily agreed, on the condition that he grew an inch or two.

While she watched their backs head towards the sunrise, Winry called out to them, waving sleepily. Maggie felt the pit in her stomach grow. It was like watching her sister leave the night before the sickness swept over her. Like they were heading towards the syth of the grim reaper; resting their necks on the chopping block.

Without a second thought, she raced forward and called out to them. When they turned to look at her, she waved her arm over her head. "The next time we meet, Elrics', I'll have an arm and an eye! And you'll have to deal with another State Alchemist!"

"Is that a promise?" Ed called back, half-heartedly.

She nodded and they left again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Aha, the title comes into play! Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**

CHAPTER EIGHT:

The next time Maggie saw Ed, she had only kept half of her promise, not that he was paying any attention.

Two days after Ed and Al left, Pinako and Winry performed the surgery and gave Maggie back one of her arms. They had to wait a few weeks before attempting the surgery on the automail eye. During the last procedure, Maggie had begun to cough up horrendous amounts of blood and struggled to recover.

Unable to get the sedatives needed for the eye surgery, Maggie agreed to do it without being asleep. It was painful and the feeling was like they were pouring gasoline and acid in her bare eye socket. She screamed and tore at the sheets. She endured it because she had promised the brother's that she would move on like they had.

When Winry received the call from Ed, requesting her presence in Central to fix his arm, she asked if Maggie wanted to go with her. It had been her plan to take the State Alchemist exam, but she decided against it. Her body was still adjusting to the automail and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself during the exam.

When Ed burst through the front door one evening, Maggie was thrilled to see him. Only, his stare was cold and furious and he didn't return her hello. She wasn't sure he had even seen her. Pinako told her not to worry and finish up the dishes.

When Hohenheim showed up, Maggie found herself hiding from him. She didn't like the dead look in his eyes or the way he squinted at her oddly colored left eye and automail arm. She felt like he could see right into her soul.

She hid behind the door leading to the hallway near the stairs. Den whined behind her. Peering out at him, she wondered if she could stab him to death with the daggers she was shooting of her eyes.

"Pinako, who is this?" Hohenheim asked.

The old woman glanced over at Maggie, narrowing her eyes at the young girl's actions. "This is Maggie Westfield. The boys brought her here for some automail. She's here until she adjusts."

He stared at Maggie for a long minute, his cold gaze scanning over her face. "You attempted human transmutation, as well, didn't you?"

Maggie stifled a gasp and darted up the stairs. She realized he must have been the reason Ed was upset. She recognized that man's face from the photos on the wall. Pinako had answered a million questions on each photo and of each person within the photos.

The box Pinako had given Maggie was neatly placed beside her bed in a room that used to be Al's. She pulled out three shiny pennies and a ruby earing she'd spent two hours picking out of the floorboards. Transmuting wasn't difficult to her; after all, once her arm, lung and eye were taken from her, she'd gotten a glimpse of the inside of the gate.

She made a small, bronze four-leaf clover with a ruby in the middle. When she left the room, she could still faintly hear Pinako and Hohenheim talking. Slipping into Ed's room, she leapt on his bed, almost knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Here!" she exclaimed before he could open his mouth to shout at her.

The little clover was thrust into his hands. It looked so small and breakable in his metal hand. Blinking down at it, he realized that she now had two arms. Her metal arm was slimmer than his and not built for combat. His golden eyes fluttered over the metal until they rested on her face. While a little droopy, her left eye had been replaced with an automail eye made to look like a normal eye. It wasn't the same color as her right eye, he noticed. This one had a red iris and the pupil was almost shaped like a pentagon.

"It's a good luck charm." She mumbled, a blush creeping to her cheeks. Her hands gripped the hem of her dress, in an attempt to stop herself from crying.

"A good luck charm?" he glanced down at it again and realized that she must have made it herself.

Maggie nodded. "I was going to join the military so I could help you and Al get your bodies back."

She roughly wiped away a few stray tears. "But the automail took a major toll on my body and I forgot that you can't do a lot with only one lung."

Ed's face softened. "You didn't pass the medical exam, did you?"

She didn't need to reply, he understood. Winry had told when of the operation and how they had to stop several times to make sure she didn't choke on her own blood. She had explained that after the first operation, she didn't even want to attempt the second, but she couldn't say no to Maggie. Not after what she went through trying to get her only sister back.

Al had asked how Maggie was recovering, and was devastated to hear that sometimes just walking into town was too much on the small girl's body. Most of the time, Winry would have to carry Maggie back home and have her rest for a day or two.

Ed hated the lost look that washed over Maggie's freckled features. "How about I give you a title? Like a proper State Alchemist title. I'm no Fruer but I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist and that's close enough."

"Okay," she smiled, sniffling.

"From now on, you are the Magpie Alchemist."


	9. Chapter 9

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. **

CHAPTER NINE:

Maggie was told to stay home and watch over things while Ed and Pinako went to the graveyard. She hated being weak. She wanted to help Ed but her body prevented her. Instead, she watched their backs as they made their way down the dirt road. Den whined behind her.

Sighing, she went inside and filled a kettle for tea. While it boiled she went to the clutter of photos on the wall. It was weird seeing what Al really looked like. She only knew him as the voice inside the suit of amour. She marveled over the sweet natured look he held in his eyes and wondered what he'd look like now that he was older.

The kettle whistled as rain began to pelt on the windows. Going to the window, she watched the sheets of rain slide down the kitchen window. Knowing Ed, he'd still be working instead of slowing down.

By the time she had sat at the table with her mug of tea, a headache was starting to form. She rested her head on the old wooden table and listened to the patter of rain. Den curled up at her feet, her toes gently brushing against his fur.

Ed and Al had done so much for her and all she wanted was to help them. If only she had her lung, then she could become a proper State Alchemist. It was nice of Ed to give her a name, but it was nothing compared to the letter from King Bradley.

She'd drifted off to sleep when the headache became too much. When Ed and Pinako arrived back home, soaked from the rain, they found Maggie asleep on the table. Her tea had gone cold even though her fingers where still wrapped around it for warmth.

"She must have been waiting for us." Pinako observed, carefully taking the untouched tea out of the girls hands.

"Yeah," Ed muttered, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

Her chest heaved in her odd breathing pattern and her lips were parted slightly. He could defiantly see why Al kept going on about her when they whispered together during the night. She was pretty and he always pegged his brother for falling for someone he could protect.

Maggie groaned and lifted her head, squinting at her surroundings. "You're back,"

"You should have been in bed if you didn't feel well." Pinako scolded, tossing a towel to Ed.

The redhead rubbed her eye and yawned. "But I wanted to hear about what you found."

Ed's face hardened, his lips creased into a tight line. "Maggie, I have something I need to ask you."

Maggie didn't know how to answer so she just nodded.

"What you brought back… did you get a good look at it?" his eyes cast themselves somewhere else. He was ashamed to be asking something so awful of her.

She frowned, her eyebrows arching in confusion. "Only bits and pieces came back… but I'm not sure what it looked like. I was bleeding out."

"Oh," Ed turned away and headed towards the stairs. "Nevermind."

Maggie bit her lip and stood the chair behind her toppling over and scaring Den off. "I'm going back to Central with you!"

Ed froze in the doorway, turning back to her slightly. "What? You can't, not in your condition."

The lump grew in the back of her throat. Hot tears pricked her eyes and she forced herself not to cry. She was tried of being a crybaby. "I can visit Sophira's grave and dig stuff up. I can help. I know I can…"

Ed face softened. "Well, Al'll be happy to see you at least."


	10. Chapter 10

**Holy poop! I wasn't expecting a review at all! I woke up this morning with thirteen emails blinking on my phone! Thank you! Hmm… you have a concern over the eye? Give it a few chapters.**

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, SAY NOTING AT ALL.**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER TEN:

Before the train left for Central, Pinako advised Ed to look out for Maggie.

"She doesn't know when to quit, that girl. Even if her body tells her to stop, she won't." she muttered, chewing on her pipe. "Watch her."

Ed had carried her from the house down to the train station, even though she protested. She had fallen asleep a few minutes into the ride. Her legs were curled against her chest, her real arm wrapped around her knees, and her fake arm cradling her head against the window.

On the way to the station she'd explained to him that the body had been buried in the basement of her old house. She would stay there until she was ready to go back to Granny Pinako. After all, it was cheaper than a hotel she couldn't pay for. He'd asked if the house had been sold while she was gone and she explained that the house belonged to her, since she was the remaining family member.

He still didn't like the idea of having her follow him to Central. Sure Winry was there and Al would jump at the chance to see her again, but it was dangerous and her health wasn't that great to begin with. If she couldn't walk into town without coughing up blood, then how could she dig up a grave?

When they reached Central, Maggie suggested that they part ways. She said that if someone was after him, then it would be even more dangerous to be seen with him. He opened his mouth, ready to protest, but she punched him in the arm with her automail fist.

"I'll be fine." She hissed, stifling a cough.

Ed sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Sure, but maybe I should send Winry or Al to help you…"

"No," Maggie bit out. "I'm fine on my own. I'll call your hotel when I find anything."

With that she spun on her heel and headed off in the direction of her childhood home. It wasn't as pretty as Ed's house was in the pictures at the Rockbell home, or as large. It had a basement that was nothing but concrete walls and a dirt floor. The first floor had a small living room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. There were two rooms upstairs, a bedroom and a bathroom with only a toilet and bathtub.

The outside was made of crumbling red brick and oak stained black. The roof was tin and the sun glinted off of it harshly in the afternoon light. The sight of the house made Maggie sigh in comfort. Everything inside had been coated in a layer of dust and cobwebs hung on the corners of the ceiling. It seemed still and dead.

Shrugging off her backpack, Maggie entered the living room. The creaky oak floor had been stained with her own blood and the blood of the monster she brought back to life. The chalk on the floor had turned pink and faded over.

She remembered telling the soldiers that found her to bury the body in the basement. She didn't know why she told them to do that, but it could have been because of the fact that the house held so many happy memories for Sophira. If there was a place she'd rather be buried, it would be the house she grew up in.

The stairs leading down to the basement groaned under the light weight of her footsteps. The single light bulb flickered sadly in the middle of the plain room. Sitting gently on the bottom step, she waited a second to catch her breath. Preforming alchemy took a lot of energy out of her.

When she found the body and unearthed it, she had to use the wall to support her body as she crossed the earth floor. The bones she peered down at jotted out in odd angles and the skull was only partly formed. Bits of blond hair sprouted out of what was left of the crown on the skull. Her sister had auburn hair, not blond.

Her stomach lurched and she vomited. A pint of blood and bile poured out her lips. She wasn't sure if it was the discovery of the body she had attempted to bring to life or the energy she had wasted digging it up that caused her to vomit. She weakly managed to climb the stairs and switch off the light.

Grabbing the phone, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor. She was wheezing and there wasn't a doubt that he could hear it through the phone.

"Ed?" she whispered weakly.

"Maggie? You sound awful, are you okay?" he sounded panicked, and if that was the sound of his coat she was going to kill him. "I can be there in-"

"It wasn't her." She choked out. "It wasn't my sister! I gave half of my life to bring back someone that wasn't my sister!"

Maggie broke down in sobs, unable to hold them back any longer. The other end remained silent for a moment before another voice came over the line.

"Maggie, please don't cry." It was Al, his soothing voice was laced with worry. "Please."

She tried her best, but the tears just kept flowing. She released the phone and let it swing against the wall. Ed and Al's voices echoed softly but she ignored them. Curling into a ball, she sobbed until she fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Omg I get nervous posting every chapter. I'm scared someone's going to yell at me for doing something wrong! **

**Reviews are lovely things, guys! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

Al found her on the floor, her arms and legs curled towards her chest. The house was dark by the time he had entered and the front door hadn't been locked to begin with. Her tiny body, dressed in a plain and simple olive green dress, was the first thing he saw when the front door swung open. He rushed to her side and carefully picked her up.

He called out in name in the echoes of darkness that swallowed the hallway of her childhood home. She was breathing, he could tell that much. It was a wheezing breath that coated his metal chest in a patch of condensation. Her lips and chin were sprinkled with dry blood and the hems of her dress were caked in dirt and mud.

When he hurriedly began looking for a place for her to rest, she gave a soft moan and cracked open her eyes.

"Alphonse?" she croaked, her voice dry and cracked.

"Maggie, you're awake!" he exclaimed, wincing when he realized he might have been too loud. "I… I came right over when you didn't reply. I asked a few strangers on the street for directions… I… I was really worried, Maggie."

She smiled and tapped her metal knuckles against his chest, emitting a shallow thunk. "You didn't have to worry. I'm fine now."

He sighed, not wanting to argue with her like his brother did. She was tired, he could tell, and he didn't want her to strain herself by yelling at him. "Where's the bathroom, you should get cleaned up and…"

"Upstairs." Her head rolled to the side, resting against the crook of his arm.

At the top of the stairs was a spacious bedroom. At one point it must have been an attic, but now it was a bedroom. A king sized bed rested against the wall under a large window. He sat Maggie down on the bed and briefly admired the strange quilt that covered the mattress. The walls were covered in photos and drawn pictures. A pink and blue rug hid the dry and dusty floorboards and a large wardrobe sat in the corner of the room.

To the left of the doorway was another room, which he could clearly tell was the bathroom. Al peered inside and noted the claw-footed bathtub and single toilet. A stack of towels sat in the corner by a wall length mirror and all kinds of shampoo's and lotions lined the rim of the wall behind the tub.

When he turned back to Maggie, to inform her that he was going to prepare a bath for her, he discovered her staring at him in wonder. If a metal suit of amour could blush, he would have been.

"I… uh… I'll get a bath ready for you…" he muttered, turning his gaze away from hers.

Once the tub was filled and a mountain of bubbles hovered a half a foot over the rim of the tub, Maggie entered and shooed him out. Al sat patiently outside the door, which was left open just in case, and waited for her to finish.

"Who drew all those pictures?" Al finally asked, cutting into the silence.

"Hm?" Maggie folded her arms on the edge and gazed at the wall of paper. "Sophira and I did."

Al paused to admire all of the childish drawings and family photos of just Maggie and her sister. Sophira was dressed in her military uniform in most of the pictures. It seemed like Maggie was smiling brightly in every one, something he'd rarely seen her do.

"My sister and I shared this room." Maggie said. "It was meant to be her room once I was born, but since she had to raise me, she decided it was easier to have us share."

"It's cozy." Al noted.

Spotting a small box under the bed, he quietly tugged it out and opened it. He chuckled silently to himself. Inside was a vast amount of trinkets and random items. There were bottle tops and wine corks. There was even bent silverware and scraps of colored cloth. He realized that she wasn't actually lying that day when Granny Pinako found the stolen bits and bobs.

"Sophira said that my great-great grandfather built this house and that the family has lived in it since." She turned and hugged her knees to her chest, resting her shin on the tops of her knees. "It's just lonely here now."

Al wished at that moment he had a body. He wanted to remember what it felt like to have hi heart drop into the pit of his stomach. To draw an emotion on his face. Her home reminded him of his old house before they burnt it to the ground. The empty feeling of it. The good and bad memories.

"I'm sure one day you'll raise a family here and it won't be so lonely anymore." He said softly, pushing the trinket box back under the bed.

Maggie snorted and ended their talk there. She finished washing and drained the tub. It felt nice to wear some of her old clothes again. The set of PJ's that she decided on had an identical pair made for Sophira. Maggie had picked them because they were soft and warm.

Al was still sitting on the floor when she re-entered the bedroom. She paused in the doorway and cocked her head to the side.

"Are you staying the night?" she asked, waiting for an answer before she moved towards the bed.

"Brother said that I should look after you tonight." He waved his hands and hurriedly added, "But… but don't worry, I'll be gone in the morning before you wake up I promise!"

Maggie sighed and made her way to the bed. "I don't mind. It's not like you can do anything anyway."

It had come out before she could catch herself. Her words had a duel meaning; a double edged sword that pricked Al's poor heart. She bit her lip and turned her back to him, refusing to let him see the embarrassed blush fluttering across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." She said once the quilt had been tossed over her head. "I didn't mean it."

Al pressed his back against the wall at the foot of her bed. "I know. Go to sleep."


	12. Chapter 12

**I hope this clears up the eye thing. I was always going to have the eye be dysfunctional anyway, but I changed it. **

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL. **

CHAPTER TWELVE:

Maggie awoke to a still house. None of the clocks ticked, having been neglected to be rewound. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up and glanced around the room. Just as Al had promised, he was gone before she woke up and it stung a little.

She felt like she had hurt him enough to make him leave her for good. The words she had said before ate away at her conscious like acid. Getting out of bed, she padded down the stairs to the phone. She picked up the phone and held it to her ear, then paused.

"Who would you like to connect to? Hello?" the operator asked.

Maggie bit her lip then hung up the phone. She couldn't call him. She was scared. And he was probably busy anyway. With a sigh, she went back up the stairs to change. There wasn't any food in the house and she was hungry. The old jam jar at the top of the pantry had just enough for a piece of fruit and maybe a load of bread. Pocketing the money, she left the house.

She chose to slip on an eye patch. It wasn't something she liked to wear, but the strange looks she got made her feel nervous and self-conscious. An elderly gentleman had asked her once if the eye she had was from an Ishval donor. It was something she didn't consider when she made the eye.

In fact, it wasn't even automail, though she wished she could say it was. After evaluating her eye socket and current automail technology, paired with her poor health, it was near impossible for Winry to provide an eye for her.

Instead, Maggie took three white marbles, two tiny black beads, and two broken pieces of the first gem she found in her box. With those, she made an eye for herself. So she couldn't even see out of it but it looked real enough. Winry and Pinako had to disinfect it and thoroughly clean the eye socket before placing the fake one inside. They wanted to make sure it didn't get infected and was moist enough to allow her to blink and not stick to the lid.

Still, it was better than a gaping hole for an eye.

Maggie wandered around close to her house. There was a small market nearby where she bought an apple and a small roll. On the way home she picked four brightly colored flowers, pocketed two shiny buttons, became rich with a small amount of change she found during her journey, and filled her pockets with oddly shaped rocks and colorful feathers of all shapes and sizes.

When she got home she decided to clean the house after a small tea break. Sitting alone at the kitchen table, she couldn't help but feel like she had gone in a full circle. This was how things were after Sophira's sudden death. The days were quiet and uneventful, day in and day out.

She thought back to Al's words from the night before,

"I'm sure one day you'll raise a family here and it won't be so lonely anymore."

She scoffed and sipped her tea. That was probably what her great-grandfather said to her grandfather before turning the deed over to him. The house was a damned curse, she had been convinced. Her grandfather died in a landslide one rainy season on his way to visit relatives in the country. Her grandmother fell down the stairs and broke her neck. Her father died in friendly fire and her mother went into labor upon the news of his death, dying in the process.

The house would always have the eerie lonely atmosphere to it. When Sophira was busy at work or away on trips, the house was empty, still. Maggie would quietly make herself dinner and spend her nights reading to herself in a bed made for two but only holding one.

She wondered if Ed and Winry would marry after his journey for the Philosopher's Stone was complete. Would they live in Winry's house and fill it with laughing children? Would they live happily ever after?

"I'm sure one day you'll raise a family…"

Those were pity words, she knew it. How could she have children? Her body was far too weak for it, considering she lived long enough to get married. Her mind suddenly wandered. Would it be possible to finish her life with Al? Could she be a part of it?

No, she told herself as she stood to place her empty cup in the sink. She couldn't do that to him. He deserved a wife that could provide him with children and have the strength to look after them. Maggie couldn't do that. It was wrong of her to deprive him of that luxury.

She wanted to stop thinking about the future, and started to clean the house. The living room managed to be dusted and polished before Maggie fell asleep on the sofa.


	13. Chapter 13

**More of just Maggie, forgive me! Next chappy will have more of Maggie and Al, I promise! Now I'm off to do two English projects… -_-**

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL!**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

"_Mrs. Simmons said that you stole another student's bracelet, today." Sophira stated her tone soft and amused, not angry and disappointed like the first grade teacher. "If you wanted a bracelet, you could've just asked me. I could-"_

"_It's not that," Maggie pouted, stopping their swinging hands. "It was just so shiny and pretty, I couldn't help myself. I know it's bad to steal, but-"_

"_Ah, I see." Sophira mused, pausing to sweep her baby sister up into her arms. Maggie screamed with laughter and wrapped her tiny arms around her sister's neck. _

_Sophira held on tight, sad that she would be leaving her sister soon for business in the Eastern Command. Her cheek pressed against the child's, whose skin was warm and soft. _

"_You see that little black and white bird over there." Sophira pointed towards an old oak tree to their left, its branches bare and skeleton-like. "That's a magpie."_

"_A magpie?" Maggie mumbled, her eyes wide at the beautiful bird._

"_They're known to steal bright objects and hide them away in their nests." Sophira glanced at her sister's awestruck face. "Just like you, my little magpie."_

"_Oh!" Maggie gasped, pointing to a murder of magpies that came to sit with the lone bird._

_Sophira chuckled and began to count them aloud, "One for Sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. Eight for a wish and nine for a kiss!" _

_Sophira ended with rhyme by pressing her lips to her sister's check, laughing when Maggie squealed and pushed her head away with her small hands. _

Maggie sat up and glanced at the clock on the wall. It wasn't ticking and the sky outside the window behind her was dim. She groaned and sat up, gazing around the room in a daze. She'd only planned on taking a nap, not sleeping until after dinner.

Making her way to the kitchen she put the kettle on for tea and sleepily stared into the empty pantry. She didn't have the money for groceries and the spare change she found on her way home wasn't even enough for a piece of fruit. She tapped her forehead gently against the doorframe of the pantry door, thinking.

She needed money. The bank was too far for her to walk to and it was too late at night to go now. She tapped her head once more, then again, then the kettle whistled. There was one tea bag left, she realized as she dunked it in and out of the hot water.

Maggie really needed to go shopping. She sighed and picked up her mug, carrying it with her up the stairs to her room. Finishing it, she placed the empty mug on the floor by her bed and went to sleep.

The next morning she found herself standing by her mailbox, glaring ahead at the road she needed to take to the bank. People walked about, getting on with their day. She tightened her grip on her wicker basket, taking a step forward, then taking a step back.

Maggie briefly wondered how long she could last without eating before her stomach growled irritably. Defeated, she started her slow journey to the bank.

If she walked slowly, then her lung wouldn't act up and her heart rate would remain steady. The teller at the bank knew her from her sister and she received her money without any problems. It was enough to buy a few groceries and a few the next time she needed food. She bought a loaf of bread, three apples, twelve eggs, a pound of cheese, and a box of her favorite tea.

By the time she got home it was a little after three. She was tired and hungry and irritated. A little one eyed kitten had followed her home. She told it repeatedly that she didn't have any milk or meat to feed it and it was better off following someone else. Still, it followed her and slipped into the house through the space between her legs.

Fed up and tired, she let it make itself at home and set about putting away her groceries. She made herself a cheese sandwich and watched as the kitten darted around the kitchen, sniffing out something. Maggie raised an eyebrow when it caught a mouse and happily ate it.

"I guess you could be useful." She told it.

It meowed in return.

It was a pretty cat. It's back was a sleek jet black, like ink, while its belly and tips of its paws were white like snow.

Maggie smiled. "I'll name you Inkling."


	14. Chapter 14

**Oh god I might have to rewrite the next chapter, I don't like how its turning out. P.S guys I was accepted into my first choice college!**

**Anywho, Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

Al exited Mr. Knox's house, pausing to stare up at the sky above him. He sighed. It was late and the stars above the sky winked down at him. Al walked along, letting his feet take him to that shabby little house that Maggie called home. A few of the lights were on inside the house and yet again, the door was left unlocked.

"Maggie?" he called out as he entered the house. He was afraid that he would find her like he had the last time. The pitiful way she was curled up on the floor, her cheeks pale and body still.

This time, her soft voice answered him. "Alphonse?"

While he shut the front door behind him, Maggie emerged from the kitchen brandishing a spatula. At the sight of the armored boy, her eyes began to water and she gave him a gentle smile. Al wanted to pick her up in his arms and swing her around and just hold her close to him, but he stopped himself. He'd probably hurt her if he'd done that.

"I thought I had angered you." She laughed, wiping away a stray tear. "I thought I was on my own for good now."

"I'm not mad." Al said gently, walking towards her. He hated how he towered over her like a giant. "And I promise I'll never leave you."

Maggie held out her pinky. "Promise?"

He hesitated, his pinky was so much larger than hers, and he didn't want to break it. Instead, he held out his finger and watched as she attempted to wrap her pinky around it. She smiled.

"That's a promise." She said as she turned, retreating back into the kitchen.

Al followed her and carefully sat on one of the kitchen chairs, observing her as she cooked what appeared to be an egg-fried toast. A smile was still ghosted over her lips and she hummed a little. Al had never hated his stupid metal body more. He wanted to be flesh and blood. He wanted to remember what it was like to feel his cheeks heat up and feel his heart pound. He wished he could have his body back just so he could steal his first kiss from her.

But his body was locked away at the gate.

It was then that he understood why elephants were afraid of mice. It wasn't that they were afraid of the little creature. They were afraid of hurting the tiny creature. Al was the elephant, constantly afraid of Maggie, the mouse, who was much, much smaller than he.

He sighed.

Maggie set her plate down at the table across him and daintily ate her food.

"Did Winry go back to Rush Valley?" she asked, reaching for her cup of tea.

Al nodded. "She left a few days ago. When are you going back to Granny?"

Maggie paused and cast her eyes away from his. "I'm not going back."

"Why not? I thought-"

She stabbed a square piece of her bread. "I've already called to inform her and I've sent her a sum of money as payment. I can't go back."

"But-" Al stopped himself. He didn't want to argue with her. "Okay, if that's what you want."

She set her cup down and sighed. "Tell me about what you and Ed have been doing."

Al proceeded to tell her everything that had been happening. He told her about Father and the Homunculi and how Ed had gotten swallowed by Gluttony. After a while she had pushed her plate to the side, and propped her head up with her tiny palms, her elbows on the table. From time to time, she would ask questions or add something about Alchemy and he could suddenly remember that she was an Alchemist as well. It was strange how comforting it was just talking to her.

Soon the clock in the living room chimed the first hour and by that time Maggie had shamefully fallen asleep during the tale of Ling Yao's arrival. Al stopped his hushed talking and stood, carefully picking her up. He tucked her in and tenderly pulled the quilt up to her chin. She mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over, her back now facing him.

Al had to leave, Ed would be waiting for him at the hotel and he didn't want his brother asking questions and teasing him. He thought about leaving a note, but decided against it. A kitten trotted into her room and rubbed itself against his leg before jumping onto the bed and curling up beside its master.

He hated leaving her alone, but the front door clicked shut behind him and he decided that one day he'd make sure that she'd never have to be alone again.


	15. Chapter 15

**Omg, so I had to rewrite it and I like this version better. Don't you?**

**Please review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

A few days later, while grumpily wandering around the town in search of more… lady supplies, Maggie stumbled across the Elric brother's in search of a black and white cat. Ed noticed her first and dashed over to her, waving the badly drawn picture in her face.

"Have you seen this cat?" he asked excitedly, hoping that the redhead would have a lead for them.

Maggie studied the drawing for a moment, before taking Al's. "I recently found a black and white kitten, but not one that looks like this. Sorry."

Ed hung his head in defeat and Al told her that it was okay. When the brother's decided on venturing to the library, Maggie's frown deepened. They bid her goodbye but she caught Ed's sleeve and stopped him from moving forward.

Ed turned back, surprised to find the girl chewing on her lip in an anxious manner. Even though he had turn back around to fully face her, she kept ahold of his sleeve. She was scared about something, he could tell.

"You'll come back… right?" she muttered, releasing his sleeve, letting her hand drop limply to her side. "You'll both come back alive. You won't leave me…"

Ed put his metal hand on her shoulder, letting the other slide into his pocket. He pulled out the tiny bronze clover she had made for him. "We'll both come back alive; after all we have your lucky charm."

Even though he flashed a bright grin, she had failed to compose her solemn expression. He hated the dead look misting into her eye, just like it had when he first met her. She was losing hope.

"Okay…" she muttered, slowly moving away. "Just let me know before you leave again."

As she walked past Al, she lightly tapped her metal knuckles against his chest. And that was her goodbye to him.

A few days later, while slicing an apple, Maggie heard a strange ringing noise. It took her a minute to realize that it was the phone, something that had remained silent since Sophira's death. Wiping her hands on her dress, she went to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked timidly.

"Uh, hey… It's Al…" Ed shouted his name in the background, he told Al to hurry, their train was arriving soon. "I'm sorry we couldn't say goodbye in person."

Maggie lent forward, and pressed her forehead against the wall. "That doesn't matter, as long as you say it."

Al paused. He knew what she was talking about. The kettle whistled in the background. She was making tea, Earl Grey, her favorite.

"I'll miss you." He said softly so his brother didn't hear and make fun of him, after all it was too long of a train ride for him to be teased. "But I promise I'll come back in once piece."

Maggie chuckled, turning around and sliding down the wall. The kettle was screaming but she ignored it. "I'll miss you, too. I'll be waiting."

"Al, come on! It's arriving!" Ed yelled somewhere behind Al.

Al glanced over his shoulder; the train was steaming towards the platform. "Uh, Maggie, one more thing before I go."

"Yes?"

"I really like you…" he said it quickly, but he was sure she'd understood him. "Like, really, really, like you."

Ed yelled for him again.

The kettle was getting louder.

"I really, really, like you too, Alphonse." She smiled.

They hung up at the same time.


	16. Chapter 16

**So a longer chapter than usual. It's kind of filler until I finish FMAB…**

**Please Review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**

**I DO NOT OWN FMA**

CHAPTER SIXTEEN:

Al kept a book full of the things he wanted to do when he got his body back. Ed knew about it, of course, and from time to time, he would sneakily skim through it. Sometimes he did it to remind himself of his promise; his goal. But there were times when he was sure his little brother was keeping secrets, and he used the little book to his advantage.

Before they departed towards the North, Al had been on the phone with someone and he refused to tell his brother who it was. He said that Ed didn't need to know and that it was none of his business. Ed had an inkling that it was a girl, just who that girl was… He thought about the girl being Maggie, but he wasn't sure. Was that who his brother was talking to on the phone?

Flipping through the book, he found the newest addition written in his brother's awkward scribble. He smirked, thinking about the ways he could blackmail his baby brother.

At the bottom on the page was, Steal a kiss from Maggie.

X*X*X*

Maggie decided that she was going to properly clean the house. She tied back her hair, rolled up her sleeves and got to work. The cobwebs in the corners were swept away, and the hardwood floors were mopped and scrubbed. She washed all of the linen and hung them out to dry. She dusted and polished and organized.

Around noon there was a tap at the door. Hawkeye stood awkwardly on the porch, dressed in her uniform, with a basket of fruit and a worn out book. Maggie blinked in surprise and gripped the doorknob, unsure of the woman standing at her front door.

"I'm a friend of the Elric's," Hawkeye smiled. "They asked me to check up you every now and then."

Maggie's eyes drifted over the older woman before she stepped back and allowed Hawkeye to enter. She could tell that the girl was doing a little cleaning and it was apparent that the house needed it. Following Maggie into the kitchen, she set the basket down on the table and presented the book to her.

Maggie took it and ran her fingers across the cloth binding of the cover.

"It was my favorite book as a child." Hawkeye shyly tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear. "I hid the fact from my father, because it's a romance… but Al said you liked books so…"

"Thank you." Maggie looked up, her eyes sparkling. "I'll return it as soon as I'm finished."

Hawkeye smiled. The girl was much different from the one lying in the hospital bed mumbling the Magpie Rhyme over and over until her poor throat was hoarse and dry. She was glad to see the girl back on her feet and making friends. Hawkeye had briefly met Sophira in the Eastern Command a few years ago. The young woman seemed pleasant and kind, much more so than the other State Alchemists.

Maggie ran her hand across the cover once more before turning towards the kettle. "Would you like some tea? I think I have biscuits somewhere around here."

"That sounds lovely." Hawkeye smiled, it was her lunch break anyway.

The two girls sat and drank their tea while talking comfortably. Hawkeye found it strange that the young girl seemed older than she actually was. She was smart, that much she could tell, but there was that ever present fear and anxiety clouding around the girl. The pair talked about the weather and dogs and their favorite romance novels, something that was Hawkeye's guilty pleasure and something she hid from those she worked with. Especially Mustang.

When she was younger Hawkeye dreamt of having a daughter, one that she could do all kinds of girly things with. But her life just never played out that way. She couldn't bring up a child with her status in the military and she didn't have any strong relations with any of the male officers other than Mustang and well… that was a difficult relationship.

When she left, Maggie waved to her from the porch with a huge smile on her face.

X*X*X*X

As Ed was closing the book, a small wallet sized photo slid out of the pages. He carefully picked it up and flipped it over, his golden eyes scanning over the picture. It was of Maggie, probably taken a few months before her sister's death. Her hair was braided into twin pigtails with little flowers twisted in. She was wearing a baby blue dress and smiled brightly towards the camera.

Ed smirked and slipped the photo back into the book. His brother was spending too much time with Maggie, her stealing habits were rubbing off on him.

X*X*X*X*

One for Sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a girl

Four for a boy

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

X*X*X*X

Maggie cursed at the dark sky above her head. She'd spent too much time in the linen store and now she was going to have to walk home in the dark. Adjusting the straps of her backpack, she started down the street with a scowl on her face. It was going to be a long walk, and her feet were already tired from the walk into the inner city. She cursed again.

A hand wrapped around her mouth, causing a scream to lodge itself in her throat. Strong arms pulled her into the alley to her left. Only one scream managed to tear itself out of her lips, but it caused too much strain on her single lung.

Her vision became blurry.

X*X*X*X

Hawkeye sighed, loosening her grip on Hayate's leash. It had been a late night at work so she was forced to give her puppy his walk later than usual. She really wanted to go home and shower, then relax and read the newspaper with a cup of tea.

Hayate spotted something and paused, his little black nose sniffing the crisp nighttime air. Suddenly he barked and began to tug on the leash. Hawkeye stubbornly followed the puppy, ready to scold him, but the words became tangled on her tongue.

Maggie was lying in the middle of a damp and dirty alley. She seemed beaten and bruised and defeated. Her clothes were torn and bloodied. Hawkeye rushed to her side, but the girl didn't open her eye, only giving a pitiful moan.

Maggie was rushed to the hospital but was released early and sent home with Hawkeye. The doctor said it was a few scrapes and bruises.

"The girl refused for me to check if…" the doctor trailed off and Hawkeye silently nodded.

After a quick bath and dressing herself in the smallest clothes Hawkeye had, Maggie and the Lieutenant sat silently at the table, mugs of tea at their hands. It was chamomile, Maggie's least favorite, but she drank it anyway.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Hawkeye said after a while. "If you give me descriptions of the people that did this, I can-"

"I dealt with them." Maggie said in a deadpan tone before bringing the mug to her lips.

"Dealt with them?"

Maggie turned her duel colored eyes to the older woman. "I made a knife out of a spoon and some spare change in my pocket. There were too men. I cut one under his upper arm and the other on the inner thigh. They most likely bleed out somewhere."

Hawkeye's gaze hardened. "They were trying to rape you."

Maggie nodded. "Please don't tell Al or Ed. I don't want them to worry while they need to be busy worrying about other things."

Hawkeye opened her mouth to protest, but Maggie quietly stood, thank her for the tea and curled up on the couch for the night.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

_Sophira chuckled and began to count them aloud, "One for Sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told. Eight for a wish and nine for a kiss!" _

_Sophira ended with rhyme by pressing her lips to her sister's check, laughing when Maggie squealed and pushed her head away with her small hands. Suddenly four more magpies gathered around, causing her sister to pause, the end of the rhyme dancing on her lips. _

"_Thirteen, beware it's the devil himself…"_

_Maggie squealed again and wiggled out of her sister's grasp. Sophira set her down, letting her sister run towards the murder of magpies, attempting to scare the birds away. One cawed down at the child and flapped its wings in defiance._

"_So you still believe in that foolish little rhyme I taught you?"_

_Sophira felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. The fortune telling of the magpies was never wrong. The devil himself stood beside her now._

"_Good afternoon, Major Kimbly, how nice of you to grace us with your presence." Sophira hissed, not letting her expression contort into one of anger. Her sister didn't need to see her graceful older sister's dark side._

_Kimbly chuckled and stuffed his hands in his uniform pockets casually. "I do love to see my girls."_

"_We're not your girls." Sophira growled, turning to face him._

_She hated that look of superiority that sparkled in his black eyes whenever he gazed at her. Sophira was only sixteen, but she sure as hell wasn't going to let a man like him get the best of her. At the start of the war, when Maggie was only a little baby and Sophira was too young to work, it was Kimbly that helped pay their bills and give them a small allowance for food. But with all alchemists there was always that aura of Equivalent Estrange. Sophira fell right into that trap._

"_You will be," Kimbly smirked, retrieving his pocket watch and glancing at the time. "When I come back from Ishval, we'll talk some more."_

"_I hope you die in battle, Solf." Sophira snarled, smacking his hand away when it came close to patting her head. "I'd rather die than marry you."_

"_I love the fire in your soul, Sophira." Kimbly chuckled, stepping towards the tree Maggie was standing under, chirping up to the little birds that wanted nothing to do with her._

_He picked up the seven-year-old and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I have to go away for a while, look after your sister for me. Okay?"_

_Maggie stared up at the man holding her, confused. "'Kay."_

Maggie was making her bed when there was a loud knocking at her front door. She paused, waiting for the noise to stop. She didn't want to be bothered today, her stomach hurt and a headache was starting to form.

The noise didn't stop but instead became louder. In a huff, she dropped the pillow and trotted down the stairs to the front door. At the door stood two men in military uniforms. Her heart plummeted into her stomach, waiting for them to tell her of Ed and Al's demise. Maggie wasn't very fond of officers of the military.

Or of people in general.

She took a step back into her house and peeked out at the men. "Yes?"

"Are you Magdelena Westfeild?" one of the men asked, he had orange hair and grey eyes.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him. "I am."

"Please go dress in the warmest clothes you have." He informed her, staring down his nose at her.

She wanted to ask why. She wanted to slam the door and run. Instead she went up into her room and put on her thickest wool tights and brown lace-up boots. She put on her wool bloomers and a thick green and brown dress. For a minute she paused by the mirror, holding her long braided hair. Grabbing a pair of scissors out of her treasure box, she cut her braid off an inch above the base of her neck.

She knew that if there was a chance she needed to run, her hair could be used against her. She'd learnt that from her previous attack. And the men who attacked her had learnt the hard way.

Once downstairs she tugged her sister's old tan winter jacket and red scarf out of the hall closet and stepped out with the men. She closed the door and locked it, slipping the key into her pocket. Inkling was hiding behind a flower pot to her left. Maggie knew that he could live off mice and moles until she got back.

X*X*X*X

The train ride was tedious. The officers hadn't let her walk as slow as she should have to the train station and neither offered to carry her when she began to cough up sprinkles of blood.

During the ride, she sat by the window with one officer beside her and the other in front of her, making sure she didn't run. The orange haired man folded his arms over his chest and glared at her and in return she did the same. Whenever the train stopped at a station she made a point of kicking him in the shin. Each time he'd only wince and deepen his glare.

When the stop for Rush Valley was called, Maggie sat up instantly.

"Maggie?" Winry rushed over to the younger girl and sat next to the orange haired officer, much to his dismay. "What are you doing here?"

"She's coming with us." An officer behind Winry stated, taking a seat in the aisle over.

"But if she's going to the North then she needs new automail." Winry pointed out, the paused. "Maggie, your hair!"

Maggie shrugged and tugged on her empty sleeve. "They took my arm off, Winry. And my hair… it needed to go."

Winry frowned. "Well, I'm going to visit Ed and change his automail. So maybe when I'm done I can fix yours. Do you have it?"

The orange haired officer held up a bundle wrapped in a coarse tan cloth. "She was fighting us too much on the way to the station. We confiscated it."

"Fighting?" Winry sighed. "Maggie, you can't over work yourself. What about your lung?"

"You're missing a lung as well as an arm and eye?" the officer questioned, setting the bundle on his lap. "Pathetic."

Maggie's leg darted out and connected with his shin.

X*X*X*

Needless to say, when Al and Ed saw Winry and Maggie again, they weren't pleased. Both boys had suspected that Maggie wasn't included in the hostage count. Bradley hadn't said anything about it and the believed that he didn't know…

Al watched carefully as Maggie touched the cold bars of their cell. Her hair was shorter, chopped into a bob. Her left sleeve was lose and over her left eye was a patch. He was very displeased. He watched as Maggie glanced over to Kimbly, her jaw clenching.

While Ed was having his arm replaced, Maggie sat on the floor with a few stolen bits and bobs scattered around her. She'd learnt early on, during the journey to Briggs, that the harsh winds hurt her eye. The marble replacing her eye had begun to freeze and coat over in frost. She had to take it out or she'd get frostbite.

Staring at the little items on the floor with her, she wondered what she could make to replace her eye. Of course there were the metals that her arm was going to be replaced with, but it could be too rough on her eye socket. In a fit of anger, she swatted the items away and stood, stomping towards the door.

"Maggie," Ed called after her, sitting up slightly. But she was gone.

She stood outside the door and forced back hot tears. Her hand clenched into a fist, her nails biting into her palm. Her teeth gnawed on her lip. She hated herself. She hated the fact that her eye and lung were gone. She hated that she'd given up so much for her sister, who never even made it back. She despised herself for being weak and useless.

"You've sure grown up, Magdelena."

Maggie turned towards the voice and snarled. "_You_,"

Kimbly lent against the wall, tipping his hat back in order to gaze down at the little girl he used to care for. The girl whose sister he intended to marry one day… if he hadn't been thrown in jail.

"How's Sophira these days? Missing me terribly I hope." He smirked.

All of the anger held within Maggie's tiny body burst out in one huge outburst. "She's dead, Kimbly. Dead and buried. Not that you would know, since you were in jail for war crimes!"

With that, she spun on her heel and walked off.

Kimbly sighed and titled his head down, shielding his face with the shadow of his hat. "Follow her."

"Sir," the orange haired officer saluted and followed after Maggie.

Kimbly gave another shaky sigh, collecting himself. She'd never know it, but her words sliced deeply. Like needles being poked into his raw, beating heart. With a low growl, he pushed open the door and entered the room that held Ed and Winry.

X*X*X*X

"Magdelena! Mags, slow down!" the officer called out, racing to catch up with the girl.

"You!" she screamed, twirling around to point a finger at him. "Don't you dare come near me!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. His shoulders sunk and he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you're mad-"

"Mad? Mad?" Maggie took a deep breath, ready to lash out and attack him. "I'm furious, Albert! Furious! Where the hell where you for her funeral?"

She coughed and pressed her hand against the wall steadying herself. Wheezing, she rested her shoulder and temple against the cool wall. Screaming at him took a lot out of her. Albert stepped forward, reaching out to help her but she swatted his hand away.

He sighed and knelt beside her. "I asked for leave, but they revoked it. I know I should have been there. I should have taken care of you, like she had all these year but-"

"But you're a coward, Albert Walter Westfield. And you always have been." She wheezed closing her eyes and forcing back the darkness that was threatening to swallow her whole.

"_The front lines, Albert? Are you serious?" Sophira shouted, throwing his orders on the floor. "You're going to leave us?"_

_Albert bent down and picked up his orders and sighed. "Soph, orders are orders… I can't-"_

"_What am I going to do, Albert?" Sophira sunk into the kitchen chair and put her head in her hands. "I can't work yet, I'm only eleven! You're leaving me to raise a two-year-old with no source of income!"_

"_I'll send whatever money I can, Soph." Albert promised, going to wrap his arms around her._

"_Don't bother." she bit out, standing and walking over to the toddler on the floor and picking her up. _

_Albert watched as she went out the back door, leaving him in his uniform with his orders in his hand._

**A/N: I'm putting these little notes down here at the bottom this time. I was reading some awesome fanfictions of Kimbly and I just- FORGIVE ME! **

**Soooo… who is Albert? I'm sure it's a dead giveaway when Maggie says his full name. Still.**

**If you're wondering- because I spent a good half an hour reviewing dates and ages:**

**The Ishval Civil War started in 1901, I believe.**

**The State Alchemists were sent in in 1908, I believe.**

**Ed was born in 1899. Al was born in 1900. Maggie was born in 1900, as well, which would make her the same age as Al. She was one when the war began and seven when the State Alchemists were sent in. She was two when Albert was given his orders in 1902.**

**Sophira is eight years older than Maggie, meaning she was born in 1892, making her twenty-two in 1914. Albert is 7 ½ years older than Sophira, meaning he was born in 1885, which makes him twenty-nine, probably around the same age as Roy. **

**In 1902, when Maggie was only two, Sophira was eleven (given that her birthday was early in the year or something) and Albert was around eighteen or nineteen, probably only a private in the military.**

**In 1908, Sophira is sixteen and Maggie is seven, Kimbly has been in their lives since Albert left in 1902. I couldn't find his age so, y'know. But don't kill me yet. It is the 1900s in this world; marriages at a young age could be common. Also, the year is currently 1914 and some of the styles match that of our worlds early 1900s. The bob was common in the 1920s, so Maggie is starting early.**

**Phew. Please review and IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

All eyes turned to the door when it opened. Albert entered, Maggie quietly resting in his arms. She was wheezing, her chest heaving with every breath she struggled to take. Her arm dangled limply and her head and resting on his chest. She seemed feverish.

Winry rushed over and told him to lay her on the bed. Maggie woke and grabbed Winry's wrist before groaning and letting go.

"What happened?" questioned the eldest Elric brother, frowning.

"She ran off. She's worn herself out." Albert informed them.

Kimbly patted his officer's shoulder. "Well done, Captain Westfield."

Albert cringed at his title, knowing questions were going to be asked. "Take care of her, please."

Winry warily watched the officer leave.

"Coward!" Maggie roared, throwing a screwdriver at him. "You're not my brother! You're a coward!"

She let out a cry and fell back, coughing. Winry tried to ease the girl's sobs and coughs.

Maggie insisted that Winry fix her arm. Ed protested, stating that she was too weak, and in doing so he rewarded himself with a bowl of bolts being tossed at his face. Winry forced back tears while she fixed the girl's arm. Ed held her down and made sure she didn't move as much.

Maggie screamed and shouted profanities, vomiting a mixture of blood and bile when it was over. Winry wiped the girl's face with a damp cloth and pushed the tufts of hair out of her eye.

"She's got a will of steel," Kimbly observed. "Just like her sister."

Ignoring him, Maggie grabbed Ed's arm. "Al… I want… to see…Al…"

She sounded awful, like she'd swallowed a cocktail of razors and acid. Ed pressed his metal palm against her forehead, letting the cool metal ease her hot flesh. Maggie closed her eyes and moved into his touch.

"Alright, we'll take you to Al." he said, forcing a smile.

X*X*X*X

"You've got a visitor."

Al turned to the officer. The door was unlocked, the screech of the rusted iron echoing. An orange haired officer handed a bundle the size of a person to the olive skinned officer standing guard outside Al's cell. He saluted, glanced sadly at the bundle, then left quickly.

His guard brought in the bundle and set it on the bed that Ed previously occupied. There was a face peeking out of the rough blue blankets. It was heart shaped and pale, freckles dusted over her cheeks and nose. Red tufts of hair poked out of the edges.

"Maggie…" Al gasped, kneeling by the bed.

She opened her eye, squinting at him. Her body stretched out of the blanket, revealing two stocking feet, a tiny, flesh hand and a hard metal one. Stifling a cough, she covered her mouth with the blanket and groaned. Al's large hands fluttered over her, wondering what on earth he could do to help her. Why was she here instead of the infirmary?

"You should see a doctor, Maggie. I think you have a fever." Al said worriedly.

Maggie smiled up at him and brought her small pink hand to his cheek. Whatever protest he had was suddenly lost. Her thumb rubbed the hard plate of his cheek.

"Then maybe I'll die." She smiled weakly again.

Al grabbed her hand, panic surging through him. "No! Don't say that! Guard-"

"It would be a blessing wouldn't it? If I died," Her voice was dream-like, the kind his mother's had been before she died.

"No, no, no, no… Maggie, please don't say that." He was at a loss. He hung his head, clutching her hand as gently as he could; holding it like he was praying to whatever god was real and could hear his prayers.

"Alphonse," she murmured. He refused to look up, terrified to watch the light of her eyes fade. "You deserve better, you know that. We're too young. Who's to say we'll still feel the same way in four years?"

"I do…" he muttered miserably. "Have you changed your mind?"

Maggie turned her head, staring up at the ceiling, letting her tears race down her temples. "No. But the future scares me. When you get your body back…" she paused and swallowed hard, sniffling. "You'll be whole; all flesh, bone, blood. I'll still be ruined. You should leave me while you can, find someone who isn't broken, someone who is-"

"Stop talking like that!" Al cried, brave enough now to gaze up at her. "If you're ruined than so am I! And what about Ed? He doesn't have an arm or a leg; if you're ruined then he is, too! Maggie you like me even as I am now, that means the world to me…"

Maggie put her metal hand over her eyes. "Oh God, I'm such a fool…"

"And I'm the fool that's fallen in love with you…" Al muttered, laughing nervously when she started to giggle.

_1918_

"_Alphonse, no! No, stand up! Oh God!" Maggie chuckled, hiding her blushing cheeks with her hands. _

"_No! I'm not getting up until you say yes!" he mumbled, his own cheeks as red as her hair. His arm was getting tired._

"_Just say yes already! I'm starving!" Ed encouraged, pumping a fist into the air. _

_Maggie knelt down in front of the blushing Elric. "My answer has always been yes."_

**A/N: Just a little glimpse into… the future? Or a dream? Maybe they're too young to be talking love and blah blah blah- must I remind you that Ed and Winry are fifteen and suddenly realize they love each other? **

***sighs and collapses onto desk* Forgive me, I'm just so scared of someone pointing out flaws and stuff. It happens all the time with my other fanfics. **

**Anywho, Please Review, I love getting them so much. They urge me on!**

**IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SERIOUSLY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN:

_1922_

"_It's unbelievable, isn't it?" Al muttered happily, his cheek pressed against her swollen stomach._

_Maggie ruffled her husband's hair, chuckling. "It's just nature, and please tell me you know where babies come from…"_

"_I know how it was made!" Al spluttered, his cheeks flaming. "It's just… it feels like a dream. I never imagined we'd have a family…"_

_Maggie's face fell and she glanced away, a movement unnoticed by Al. "Yeah, me too."_

Maggie awoke in darkness. Blinking a few times, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dimness. Her flesh hand extended, her fingertips touching cool metal. She retracted her hand back in surprise. Something shifted under her and she gasped. Turning her head, Maggie came face-to-face with Winry, who put a finger to her lips.

Maggie concluded that they were inside Al (she could tell that much by the blood seal) and she was currently being held tightly by Winry. It was a very cramped and awkward position. She wanted to know what they were hiding from and why. Ed's voice drifted through the metal and Al's voice echoed around them. Then they were jogged around, Winry keeping a tight hold on Maggie, making sure she didn't hit her head.

It was a while before Al opened his chest plate. Maggie blinked at the bright light. Winry helped Maggie out before stepping out herself. The redhead stumbled on her feet, her knees wobbling. Al's large hand rested on the small of her back, helping to keep her upright.

"Who are they!"

Maggie looked up, her green eye locking onto black. She glared and the other girl glared back, sparks flying between their gaze.

"Who's this one eyed freak!" Mei screeched, pointing a finger at Maggie.

"One… One eyed freak?" Maggie stuttered, her face contorting into a snarl. "I'll… you... urgh!"

Maggie clapped her hands together; a familiar blew static jumping and popping around her tiny body. Her chest heaved, her heart skipping a beat, then another, and another. Clutching her chest, she collapsed to her knees, heaving and struggling to get her body back to normal.

"I'll kill you." Maggie wheezed, glaring up at the other girl.

Al scooped Maggie into his arms. "That's enough. You still haven't recovered from your last stunt."

"Bully," Maggie laughed, tapping her metal knuckles against his chest.

X*X*X*X

_Kimblee was sipping his black coffee, blankly staring at the bland landscape around him when he spotted some who looked strikingly familiar. He took another swig and narrowed his eyes. It was a man, an officer and by the patch on his collar, he was a Major. The man seemed young, most likely in his early twenties. His back was to Kimblee, only showing the crop of orange-red hair. When he turned, Kimblee almost spit out his coffee. _

_The man had a striking resemblance to Sophira. His eyes were a bright green, if not a little sadder looking than hers. He had freckled skin and a sharp jaw. _

_Kimblee took another sip of his coffee, stuck a hand in his pocket and made his way towards the man._

"_I'm planning on marrying her when I return home." The man was saying cheerfully, or about as cheerful as you could get in a war zone._

"_I have plans to marry when I get back, too." Kimblee said, smirking when the man flinched._

_The man he was talking to prior to Kimblee's arrival quickly left, sensing that something bad was going to happen. _

"_She's a pretty little thing," Kimblee began, watching the man's eyes narrow. "With bright green eyes and long auburn hair. I like long hair, y'know, something to grip onto when she's-"_

_Albert's fist connected with Kimblee's jaw, causing him to stumble to the side a bit. The Crimson Alchemist, spat out a little blood and calmly set his mug aside. _

"_That's my sister you're talking about," Albert snarled. "Watch your mouth."_

_Kimblee wiped his jaw and cracked his neck from side to side, rolling his shoulders. "What's it matter to you? You walked out of their life a long time ago."_

"_Orders are-"_

"_Orders?" Kimblee stepped closer, close enough to whisper. "She kicked you out. I can step in now, and do whatever I want. So, I hope you don't mind me doing dirty things with Sophira."_

"_You sick bastard!" Albert lunged at Kimblee, tackling him to the ground. _

_The scuffle lasted until Armstrong pulled Albert off. Kimblee got what he wanted. Albert was quickly demoted to Captain and sent home._

X*X*X*X

Albert didn't know why Kimblee chose him as part of his company of officers in search of Scar. The eldest Westfield wanted nothing to do with the man, yet here he was, trailing behind the Major like a faithful dog.

Kimblee stopped and lightly turned to glance at the man behind him, who was quick to snap into a salute.

"Did you know Sophira became an officer?" he asked quietly, his hands tightening behind his back.

Albert relaxed a little, letting his hand run through his messy hair instead of a salute. "No, after I was sent home, I tried to see her and Mags again but she wouldn't let me in the front yard."

"She became a dog of the military." Kimblee carried on, staring ahead at the snow covered hills and rooftops. "She even surpassed my rank."

"Do you know how Mags lost her arm, eye, and lung?" Albert muttered, running his hand down his face.

"Human transmutation is my only guess." Kimblee answered, glancing back and frowning. "I don't blame her; I'd give up everything just to see her again. But even I know that's forbidden."

An explosion erupted in the distance. The group of officers rushed towards its. The building was already beginning to collapse, bits of concrete and ice crumbling to the ground. Albert watched it in awe. Then he froze. Maggie. Where was Maggie?

He spun around, searching for his baby sister. If anything happened to her, Sophira would haunt him. Al and Ed came crashing out of the building, pointing to the roof, blaming Kimblee for Winry's capture.

Albert raced forward, demanding to know where his sister was, begging even.

"I'm sorry," Al said gently. "We couldn't get her out in time."

Albert stumbled back, unable to believe that his little sister was crushed under the weight of the building before them. Within seconds he pulled out his pistol, pressed it under his chin, and let out a shaky breath.

Before anyone could stop him, the sickening echo of a gunshot rang out. The purity of white washed over in red.

X*X*X*X

"_The great Crimson Alchemist broken into nothing but a pitiful war criminal."_

_Kimblee glanced up, smirking as he did so. The door was wide open, the guard knocked out on the floor behind the figure leaning against the doorframe. God she had grown. No longer was she the tall, skinny girl he'd had his eye on for a while. _

_Sophira smiled down at him, dressed in her military uniform, coat hanging limply from her fingertips. Her white blouse hugged her curves and chest, which had grown since the last he had seen her. Her eyes sparkled and her long auburn hair, the hair he'd teased her brother about, was braided into a lose rope that ran down her chest. _

_The silver glint of a chain clipped to her belt loops didn't go unnoticed. _

"_So," he smirked up at her, blowing a strand of greasy black hair out of his eyes. "You're a State Alchemist now, huh, Sophira?"_

"_That's right," she said, her voice thick and smooth like honey to his ears. She entered the room, her hips swaying. "I'm the Venus Alchemist, now. And it's Lieutenant Colonel Westfield to you, Solf."_

_He licked his lips. There was something pleasing about Sophira in a military uniform. "Venus Alchemist, huh? Why're you called that?"_

_Sophira smirked and bent over him, her nails ghosted under his chin, making him lift his gaze to meet hers. Their lips millimeters apart. _

"_Because I can take your breath away." She pulled back and stuck out her tongue, revealing a tattoo of a transmutation circle. It was of the sign of Venus ensnared in a pentagram. _

_The air around them seemed to vanish and become thick and heavy as a pink static jumped around her tongue. Then she kissed him and it was like someone was squeezing his lungs, but he still smirked into the kiss and bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood_.

**A/N: Soooooo, I owe you guys two apologies. **

**For the past, like two chapters, I've spelt Kimblee's name wrong.**

**I got kind of carried away in this chapter. I was on a caffeine high and I. Just. Couldn't. Stop.**

**However, like most things, I spent a little time thinking about what Sophria's Alchemist title would be. At first it was going to be 'The Mother Alchemist' but I decided that that was too tacky. I was listening to 'Venus' by Lady Gaga and I got the idea for a 'Venus Alchemist'. Most of the Alchemist titles have to do with how they use their Alchemy. So I did a little research on the planet Venus and what it's made of. **

**The plant has carbon dioxide and clouds of sulphuric acid, which is poisonous. We breathe out carbon dioxide, so it could be possible for Sophira to transmute that into the air and use it to kill someone. Hypothetically.**

**The Venus symbol is basically the female symbol, I had to look it up and it makes sense.**

**Anywho,**

**Is Maggie really did along with her brother?**

**Reviews are lovely little things, so please review.**

**IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

_Twenty minutes prior…_

Maggie stifled another cough, this one more throaty and dreadful than the last, and groaned, gasping for breath. She pressed her hot cheek against the cool touch of Al's chest. She'd kept quiet while they talked, afraid to interrupt them if she erupted into a fit of coughs and wheezes. But Al was beginning to worry. Perspiration was visible on her forehead and she was shivering despite looking so warm.

Dr. Marcoh wandered over, unable to ignore the girl's miserable groans. He slipped off a glove and pressed his palm to her forehead. She sighed against his cold hand and leaned into his touch.

"It's a fever." He announced, tugging his glove back on. "She needs to see a doctor."

"She never should have come here." Ed growled, his hands tightening into fists.

"She can't come with us; she'll only slow us down!" Mei muttered, folding her arms.

If she was well enough, Maggie would have protested and told them that she didn't have much of a choice in her being there. However, Maggie couldn't even hear what was going on around her. She was lost in the tidal wave of her dreams. She'd been having a lot of those lately and she'd often awoke with little tears clinging to her eyelashes like dew drops.

Al looked down at the girl he held in his arms. When he glanced up, he locked eyes with Ed, who nodded slightly.

X*X*X*X

_1919_

"_Alphonse! Alphonse look! Magpies!" Maggie laughed happily, pointing out into the distance. A murder of them flew by so quickly she barely had time to count them all._

_Her husband wrapped a protective arm around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Were you able to count them?"_

"_I'm afraid to count them." She said softly, turning her gaze to settle on his. Emerald met honey. "What if they tell me something dreadful?"_

_Al chuckled, kissing her check. "It's only a child's rhyme."_

"_A child's rhyme?"_

_A magpie flew through her body as though she was made from only mist. She screamed and held up her hands to shield herself. _

_One for sorrow._

_Four others glided in a circle around her frightened form, cawing evilly at her. She was suddenly alone. She was no longer on the train with her husband, laughing like high school sweethearts. She was swimming in a black abyss of fear._

_Four for a boy._

_1923_

_Maggie gripped the pillow she was using to smoother her face in. Hot tears soaked the goose feather pillow. She sobbed long and hard, weeping uncontrollably. There was a quiet stillness around her. A hand reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, unsure of how to console her. _

"_Al, I'm sorry…" Hawkeye's voice, even and tender. "But it was a stillborn. There was nothing we could do."_

_She failed. The child she was meant to carry in the warmth of her body. The child she was meant to hold with their love and welcome into the world; was dead. _

_Al didn't say a word and if he did, she didn't hear him. He silently entered the room; his sad gaze falling on his wife's shaking form on the bed. Bloody sheets. The lingering smell of metal. Hawkeye gently handed him the bundle. It was a boy, she told him. It was tiny, like its mother, with tufts of honey gold hair. Its skin was blue, yet soft when he rested his forehead against its little crown, tears whispering down his cheeks._

"Sir! She's not breathing!"

"Maggie! Maggie, no! Come on, just wake up! Wait for Al!"

"_Maggie, what would you say if I told you you were going to be an aunt?" Sophira smiled, running the brush lightly through her sister's hair. _

_Maggie glanced back over her shoulder to stare at her sister. "I wouldn't believe you. You're not married. You can't have babies unless you're married."_

_She said it in such a matter-of-fact tone that Sophira didn't have the heart to tell her that she was wrong. Instead she smiled and pressed a trembling hand to her stomach._

"_You're right, I'm not married…"_

"So we meet again, One Eye."

Maggie turned and saw the gate looming behind her. The disembodied voice chuckled at her, teasing her for giving up so much for a stupid cause.

"The dead are the lucky ones, don't you think?" the laughing stopped. "So aren't you lucky?"

Maggie screamed and sat up. Ed sighed in relief, thankful to whatever god was out there, that she was still alive. Tears streamed down her face and she threw herself on him, crying into his shoulder. She whispered all the things she dreamt about to him, her body trembling in his arms.

**A/N: A really short chapter- DON'T HATE ME! **

**I know it's really jumbled and I hope I can make it all make sense…**

**So they were dreams but…..**

**PLEASE REVIEW! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"_Solf, we need to talk."_

_Kimblee glanced up, smirking as he did so. Sophira stood at the door, just as she had a month prior. She was still dressed in her uniform, the coat missing per usual. He noted the deep frown on her pretty lips and the pinch in the space between her eyebrows. He'd known her long enough to know she was worried about something._

"_Sure thing, love," He stood his back straight. "Top or bottom? If we have enough time-"_

"_I'm pregnant." The words slipped from her mouth laced in a tone he didn't recognize. _

_His dark eyes narrowed. "It was only once." He paused, shrugging his shoulders with a cocky smirk. "Well, I mean-"_

"_I can't have children, Solf."She snapped, coming closer towards him. He was a whole head taller than her and his gaze shifted to stare down at her. "Not with you."_

"_And why not? I think our children would be-"_

"_I'm getting rid of it." Sophira jabbed a finger in his chest. _

_Kimblee stared at her for a few long moments. Get rid of it? Didn't he have a say? It was his kid, too. After all, it takes two to tango. And tango they did…_

_Still, he struggled to see it how she saw it. People would question her; after all, she was unwed and suddenly pregnant with a baby whose father she wasn't at liberty to disclose. People would talk. Her rank would be in jeopardy. Maggie would ask how and it was better if she didn't know. _

_But it was his child, a part of him, his flesh and blood as well as hers. A selfish part of him snarled like a beast, his primal instincts taking over. Had she met someone? Was she hiding this from him? Who was he? Was he better looking? Did he make more money and was he not in prison? Did he care for Sophira and Maggie better than he did?_

_Fine, if she was going to get rid of it, why shouldn't he help? After all, he helped create it and he'd be damned if another man looked after his child._

"_Fine," he growled, pressing his palms against her abdomen. _

_She gasped but before she could step back he'd done his work. It was like her insides were being spun about with white-hot spokes, tearing through muscle and soft tissue. Her body lurched forward, her hand gripping his dirty shirt, her other hand pressing against her stomach. Blood bloomed around her pants, she coughed, dribbles of the crimson liquid running down her chin._

"_You monster," she moaned, struggling to stand. "What have you done?"_

"_I'd rather have the child die than have him raised by another man." Kimblee hissed, his cold eyes staring down at her. _

_Sophira gazed up at him with pitiful eyes. "Solf," she let out a weak laugh. "There was no other man, just you."_

_Her grip loosened and she sank to her knees. Kimblee fell with her, cold realization washing over him like a hurricane. Not only had he killed his child, but probably the only woman he properly cared for. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple. _

_Shouts rang out down the hall. The thuds of boots. _

_She was crying. Oh god, what had he done? _

"_I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."_

_It started out as a head cold, something easy to cure after nine months. But missing insides and internal bleeding is sure to end in death…_

X*X*X*X

Kimblee sat at the table, his fingers steepled together in thought. Albert was in a body bag in the next room, chilling until he could be sent back to Central to be buried next to his sister. Just like Sophira's death, Alber's blood was on his hands. He'd nearly destroyed a whole family and the last member was lying in a room over with a boiling fever.

His jaw tightened as he stood, his resolve as hard as iron. He carefully tapped on the door to the room that held Ed, Miles, and Maggie. At that moment, he didn't care about what they were muttering about. And he wasn't really searching for forgiveness; after all, he would meet Sophira in hell.

Ed looked up when the door opened, his cheeks flushed red like his coat. Maggie was in his arms, sobbing it seemed. His eyes narrowed.

"I'd like to speak to Magdelena," Kimblee said evenly.

Ed scowled, opening his mouth to retort with something when Maggie shifted in his arms. She glanced back at Kimblee, her eye was watery and her cheeks damp, glistening with crystal-like tears. She stood and Ed stood with her, ready to help her stand or walk or whatever she needed. By her pink cheeks and uneven breaths, it was evident that she still had a fever, and he wasn't ready to let her die and leave his baby brother heart broken.

"Stay," she said quietly, tapping her flesh knuckles on his chest like she did with Al, only reverse.

Maggie followed Kimblee out the door and into another smaller, empty room. There was a bench pressed up against a window with a chair situated in front of it. It seemed to suit integrations rather than a confession.

Kimblee watched as Maggie stood by the window, touching her forehead against the cool glass. This was a little girl he'd watch grow up. One he held as a tiny baby and helped teach how to walk. And there she was, an orphan, missing an eye, a lung, and her left arm.

Finally she sat on the bench, curling her legs under her. Kimblee sat on the chair in front of her, silent. She stared at him with her big green eye, still glossy from her tears. He didn't know how to say it without igniting an anger in her that could ultimately kill her.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to Sophira." He said quietly, refusing to meet her eyes.

"It was an incurable sickness," Maggie said slowly, breaking apart his sentence. "What are you implying?"

"Did she tell you she was pregnant?"

He expected Maggie to bolt to her feet and begin pointing fingers and shouting, but instead she sighed calmly.

She dragged the back of her hand across her nose, sniffling. "She tried to, but I was too stupid to understand."

Kimblee swallowed, closing his eyes for a brief moment, remembering how the guards had to pry her body from his grip. Their accusing words. The beating. The punishment. It somehow wasn't enough.

"It was yours, wasn't it?" Maggie asked softly.

"Yeah, it was mine." Kimblee bit out harshly. "But she didn't want it. Not with me."

Maggie cocked her head to the side. "Sophira was like a geode. Rough and harsh on the outside, but beautiful and fragile on the inside. She always had a soft spot for you, and I'm sure she would have wanted to have children with you. But you were a war criminal in prison and she had me to look after. People would talk."

Kimblee chuckled dryly. "Did she tell you how she got sick?"

The girl stared at him for a long minute before answering. "No, she barely spoke once she got sick. The only thing she told me was how she'd leave a beautiful corpse."

Kimblee shook his head. "That's just like her."

"You know how she got sick, don't you?"

He wasn't surprised at her question, she was a smart girl. A few long minutes of silence drifted over them. The wind howled outside the window, beating on the panes of glass. Then he told her everything.

How Sophira had broken into the prison that fateful night, and how he'd loved her roughly and tenderly, one after the other, over and over. He explained how she'd showed up after a month of silence, announcing her pregnancy and her wish to get rid of it. He didn't skip in a beat in telling her what he had done to her sister that ultimately led to her demise.

There was silence again. Maggie sat still, her eye closed like it had been since he spilled the beans on her sister's illegal behavior. Her hands were clamped together on her lap, her tiny fists shaking, whether it was from anger or the cold, he wasn't sure.

Finally she opened her eye. "I see."

Kimblee stood, eager to end the sentimental conversation; it was beginning to leave a bad taste in his mouth. "When the storm lifts, I want you to head back to Central, it's safer for you there. I'll have a few of my men escort you."

"What do you care?" she snapped back, her eye narrowing.

He rested his hand on the doorknob, keeping his back to her. "It's the least I can do. Besides, Sophira would haunt me if I didn't take care of you one last time."

X*X*X*X

_Sophira stared out the window beside the bed she used to sleep in before Maggie was born. An open book rested in her lap but it had been hours since she turned her head back to its pages. She watched the street beyond their backyard, admiring the people as the wandered about. _

_A woman with a pram trotted across the street and down the road. That…_ thing_ in her chest ached. A young girl had a kiss stolen from her on the corner, her cheeks plump and pink. The postman was doing his rounds, tipping his hat to a woman sweeping off her porch. Maggie, who was in the backyard beating the rugs, dashed over to the gate to collect their mail. _

_Sophira smiled. Since her encounter with Kimblee, she found herself bedridden and unable to complete the household chores. Maggie stayed home from school and became the new woman of the house and took over all of the chores. She woke early to collect the paper and make a cup of tea- black tea, her favorite- and porridge for Sophira just before she awoke. In the afternoon it was orange juice and a ham and cheese toasted sandwich. For dinner it was more tea and soup of any kind that she wanted._

_Maggie was so sure her sister would get better. The doctors didn't have the heart to tell her that not only was Sophira's uterus torn to shreds, but her small intestines, part of her large intestines, and appendix had taken damage as well. Her insides were so ruined, that they didn't know how to stop the bleeding, only able to ease her pain a little._

_Sophira pressed her finger tips to the glass. Outside on the branch of a tree close to her window sat eight little magpies, all lined up prettily preening their glossy black feathers. Sophira tapped her forehead against the window, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. _

_Eight for a wish._

"_I don't want to die." She whispered for only herself to hear. "I don't want to die…"_

**A/N: MY LAPTOP CHARGER BROKE GUYS! I HAVE THREE ENGLISH PROJECTS AND A FANFIC, CHARGER! I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WRONG OF YOU IT WAS TO KICK THE BUCKET AT THIS MOMENT IN MY LIFE!**

**However, it did help me get the number of my crush- so bonus!**

**Slightly longer chapter this time. It clears a few things up I suppose. I need to carry on with the anime so I can pump out more chapters for you guys but I'm lazy/busy.**

**Is there something wrong with writing fanfics? The girl I sit with at lunch rolls her eyes at me when I mention what I'm working on. The first time I told her I read fanfictions she swatted me on the head. Hmm..**

**I've been thinking off doing a little spin off series of Sophira because she's growing on me and I'm starting to really dig (yes I used a word popular in the 70s) his character. ****He is my wallpaper on my phone currently.**

**Anywho, PLEASE REVIEW THEY ARE LOVELY THINGS!**

**IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was raining when they buried him. The ground below her feet was mushy and puddles began to form from where weight was put on the soft earth by people who had long since left. Mustang and Hawkeye stood behind her, the blond lieutenant holding a large umbrella over their heads.

Mustang had met Albert once or twice in Ishval and both he and Hawkeye had seen the fight between the lanky ginger and Kimblee. Still, they had no idea that he was the older brother to Maggie. In the rain, they weren't sure if the girl was crying or not; she didn't make a noise.

Mustang placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "Come on, we'll give you a drive home."

Maggie's shoulders sank under his grip. "He was a coward until the end."

X*X*X*X

When Hawkeye pulled up alongside the old wooden fence, the dilapidated brick house looming over them, Mustang stepped out of the car first. Maggie had fallen asleep in the back, her tiny body curled up on the seats.

Hawkeye watched as Mustang carefully took Maggie in his arms and turned toward the house. The blond shut the car door and led the way to the house, surprised that the door was locked for once. Sighing, she fished around the girl's coat pockets in search of the house key- if there was one.

After unlocking the door and wandering inside, they closed the front door and paused in the hallway. The couple glanced at each other, their eyes then drifting around the house. It was old, that much they could tell. It had to have been built a few years after the country was founded. The wallpaper was old and peeling in the corners and seams. Every door and window frame was lopsided and not perfect squares. The floorboards were warped and creaked when Mustang stepped forward.

The couple didn't see the two rooms off the kitchen and instead went up the stairs. Mustang had wanted to wake Maggie and have her direct them to her room, but the girl had had a long day and he didn't have the heart to stir her.

The dim glow of the setting sun illuminated the room in gold and elongated shadows. While Mustang laid Maggie on the bed, tenderly taking off her shoes and coat, Hawkeye drifted around the room. She let her curiosity get the best of her, her chocolate eyes scanning the photos and drawings plastered to the wall.

She noticed that none of them held the brother that Maggie had buried a few hours prior. Glancing back behind her, Hawkeye watched her commanding officer pull the quilt over the sleeping girl.

"You always struck me as a man who doesn't like children, sir." Hawkeye said quietly, turning her gaze back to the many photos.

Mustang chuckled. "I would like children someday, just-"

"When the time is right, sir, when the time is right." Hawkeye refused to let her calm façade fall. Her heart ached. If things had been different. If this was another universe or world or time, then maybe. Just not now.

A particular photo caught Mustang's eye. He was quick to lean closer to it, double checking what he thought he saw. In this photo Sophira was holding out her pocket watch, the ranking on her uniform indicating a major. Her tongue was sticking out, light purple lines showing on her tongue.

"Look at this," he muttered, waving his hand. He pointed to the girl's face. "I've heard stories of the Venus Alchemist, but I never thought they were true…"

"What were the stories, sir?" Hawkeye stared at the photo, then dragged her eyes to her commanding officer.

"Well, it was said that this particular alchemy is close range, mostly used for assassinations and such." He rubbed his chin, studying the transmutation circle on the girl's tongue. "And the fact that it's on her tongue…"

"I see, sir." Hawkeye sighed, knowing exactly where he was going. Maggie's sister would go undercover and lure some enemy the military wanted gone into her trap and kill them. She was like a beautiful Venus flytrap.

Hawkeye blinked and turned towards the door, eager to leave the strange house before Maggie awoke. Another photo caught her eye, but she said nothing to the man behind her. She walked pass it calmly, lightly breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the sound of boot steps behind her.

There, by the doorframe, was a little drawing in green and red crayons. It was of a little girl holding hands with what appeared to be a long haired girl and another long haired girl (with her hair in a ponytail) dressed in what seemed to be a uniform. There were names written beside the figures in pen, written by who Hawkeye presumed to be Sophira; Maggie was in the middle holding hands with Sophira and Kimblee.

X*X*X*X

Maggie awoke when the moon was high in the sky. She blinked and sat up, rubbing her eye. It was another nightmare that woke her, this one more terrible than the last. There was blood, so much blood, and darkness. With a growl she threw back the quilt and stalked into the kitchen.

Inkling wrapped himself around her legs, purring happily. Maggie wiped away a few tears that had leaked out, found a glass, pouring herself some water. After swallowing the last drop, she set the cup down and lent against the counter, staring up at the sky.

She wondered if she'd see Al again. She wondered if he'd keep his promise or forget about her. After a moment of waiting for a shoot star that never showed, she turned and went back to bed.

**A/N: Yer… I kinda made Kimblee nicer… oops…**

**And as for the friend and fanfics- I've only ever mentioned it twice. **

**I'm losing steam guys. I might end this soon- I'm getting really busy-busy but with the winter holiday, I might find time to carry on with it a little longer. But thank you all for your support and reviews- shout out to SpenstarianCreed1 and Dreamer372 for all the awesome comments and for all the awesome people favorite-ing and such. You all are awesome!**

**Please review! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL.**


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was an odd occurrence that happened the next afternoon. She was washing some dishes after baking a sponge cake to bring to Hawkeye, when she looked up out the little kitchen window. On the bare branch sat a little magpie with ruffled feathers and grey, dirty patches that should have been white.

Maggie frowned, setting down the soapy dish. "One for sorrow,"

There was a loud caw and within seconds drying rack beside her crashed to the floor. Twelve magpies crowded around the lone one that had seconds before predicted sorrow. One smacked into the window, startling Maggie who bumped into the flimsy drying rack.

She backed against the table, her breath hitching in her throat. "Thirteen, beware of the devil himself…"

There was a loud knock at the front door. "Miss Westfield, King Bradley wishes to see you!"

Maggie frowned. "Bradley?"

Running a hand through her hair, she thought quickly. She had to get away, something inside her was screaming for her to run.

There was another knock causing all of the magpies to take to the sky.

"Miss Westfield? Are you home?"

"She keeps her door unlocked, doesn't she?"

Her heart beat fast, threatening to pound out of her chest. Without a second thought she bolted through the kitchen and into the parlor. The two officers shouted after her but she was already up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door shut. She sealed it with Alchemy but it wouldn't last long.

Maggie pulled out her treasure box, a suitcase that she'd never had the chance until now to use. Under the bed, next to the suitcase were three large notebooks full of research Sophira had done before entering the military. Cramming the books into the suitcase, she closed it and stood on the bed.

The men outside the door where ramming into it with something. Opening the window, she carefully stepped out and climbed down the tree. Her throat burned and her lung screamed but she slid down the trunk and raced across the yard just in time for the officers to break through the door.

X*X*X*X

Maggie crouched in the alley gnawing on her thumbnail. It was a bad idea running away from Bradley, they were after her now. But the magpies never lied.

Where could she go? Hawkeye was out of the question; she was an officer and could get in trouble if they found her there. She could stow away on the train and hide in some other town. But something told her to stay in Central. There had to be a way she could help, there had to be.

Inkling mewed from down the alley and Maggie stood to follow the kitten. There was an abandoned building near the outskirts of town and that was where she made her hideout.

There were some old candles that she used well into the morning. She wanted to read over her sister's research. In those books was the same information for human transmutation, and if that was in there who knew what else could be hidden in the yellowing pages.

Inkling caught a few mice and happily offered its master one. Maggie sighed and found herself with no choice but to cook the little mouse over a little fire she had made in the fireplace and eat it. After that she told the cat to find her something made for human consumption.

Another day went by and still her nose was buried in the research her sister poured over for a whole year and a half. After finding nothing, she went about making herself a new eye, one that had a green iris and didn't make her stand out. That was when she came up with an idea.

Bradley was looking for Magdelena Westfield, but what if she no longer existed?

For another two days Maggie lived off mice and a loaf of bread Inkling had stolen from a nearby vendor. She used an old packet of crayons she had in her suitcase and drew on the walls, writing down her ideas and hunches.

On the third day she heated all the leftover wax in a rusted pot she'd found in the kitchen. With the wax she made a transmutation circle on the floor.

"I have no idea if this will work or kill me." Maggie sighed, setting down the pot. "Inkling, go find me something big. Like a mole or something."

The kitten cocked its head to the side and meowed happily.

While she waited, she reviewed her notes just to make sure she wasn't missing something.

"From now on, you are the Magpie Alchemist."

Ed's words rung in her head like the ringing of church bells. Picking up a blue crayon, she drew another transmutation circle on the wall. It was a simple little thing, but she had to groan at the sight of it. It was a double pentagram ensnared in a hexagon with the rough image of a bird inside it. Part of the bird was cut out to reveal a little crescent moon shape.

She touched her finger to it, "The Magpie Alchemist…"

When Inkling returned she was surprised to see the little kitten had brought back three little ermines, their fur the color of cinnamon. She forced back tears and asked the little animals to forgive her, but they were dead and her words fell on deaf ears.

Kneeling in the transmutation circle made of wax, the little bodies of the ermines placed neatly inside, she pressed her hands against it. There wasn't a need for the transmutation circle, but she'd only seen so much of the Truth and it took too much out of her body to go without it.

Maggie gave a silent prayer as the blue static popped around her. When it was gone, she let out the breath of air she'd held and touched her face and chest. Everything seemed to be alright. She ran her fingers through her hair. It was longer, like she had planned. Going to her suitcase she pulled out an old broken mirror and peered into it. She groaned. Her idea had worked, just not completely. By using the ermines, she was hoping to take their fur, turn it into hair and attach it onto hers. Which had happened. But she had hoped that it would change her hair color completely; only, it didn't. The top half of her hair was red, like blood, but the rest was the color of cinnamon.

Twisting her new hair into twin braids, she found some old clothes in an old dresser and slipped them on. Using some of the ash from the fireplace, she smeared some on her face to hide her freckles. When she was satisfied that she looked a little different, she went back over to the little drawing on the wall.

On the back of a bit of paper, she copied it and put it in her pocket for later.

Turning back to Inkling, she said, "What should I call myself?"

The kitten mewed.

"I know!" she said, turning towards the door. "I'll be Sophie, Sophie Magpie."

**A/N: Jeepers guise! I'm really scared that this chapter came out horribly. I tried to keep with the alchemy but… I mean I did research on hair for this. I guess it could work…**

**Anywho, I'm scared that this is too OC and not enough of the characters but I'm watching the anime little by little and I'm trying to follow along in this fanfic but… eh…**

**Merry Early Christmas guys if I don't update before then! Thanks for your support!**

**Please Review!**

**IF YOU HAVE NOTHING NICE TO SAY, SAY NOTHING AT ALL!**


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Maggie wandered around Central until she found a public restroom. An idea had been bubbling in her mind for a while but she just needed the right area for it. Locking the door behind her and her faithful kitten, she filled the sink and stood in front of it.

The reflection in the mirror made her shiver. Her hair looked long and stupid, tangled in the twin braids, and she looked thin and tired. Shaking her head, she took a charcoal pencil from her pocket and drew the magpie transmutation symbol on her forehead.

"Fingers crossed, Inkling." She murmured, pressing one hand against the mirror and the other gently placed in the water.

Blue static danced and sparked around her as though she had thrown a radio into the water and not her own hand. She bit her lip, trying her best to ignore the stabbing pain shooting up her spine.

"If magpies can predict the future, then god dammit so will I!" she bit out, gritting her teeth.

"_Why are these images going through my head!?" _

A Xingese teenager was fighting with Bradley, his mouth twisted into a snarl and his eyes narrowed in fury.

It felt as though a hot metal rod was jammed down her windpipe. She struggled to breathe normally, her lung screaming, begging her to take it easy. But she refused. She'd come too far to give up now.

The sounds of hammers filled her ears. Happy shouts of encouragement. The familiar chink of metal as it walked. Armor.

"_Dad! I came to help."_

Then she saw it, the smiling suit of amour that bounded up to that strange man she had met before in Granny Pinako's house. Al was okay. He was still there.

Red covered her vision. Blood. Oh god there was a lot of it. Screams of pain. Ed? Was that Ed's voice? She saw glimpses of his wound, a pipe sticking out of his side. Maggie winced, bowing her body inwards as a shot of pain in her side almost crippled her.

Maggie glanced up to the mirror and felt the air leave her lung. Reflected in the cracked mirror was Al, his armor glittering. He was reaching out, his large fingers struggling to touch the long, skinny fingers of a boy. The boy was sickly looking and thin, his hair was long and he seemed tired.

"The promised day! The promised day! Remember it! The promised day!" she was screaming it before she even realized that words had left her lips.

Maggie stumbled away from the mirror, her hands going to her face. She was shaking, sobs trembling through her body. Her soul was tired, but she'd done it.

X*X*X*X*X

Thoughts buzzed angrily around her brain. She couldn't think or see straight. Along her way through the damp and dark alley, she'd vomited blood twice. God dammit she hated being weak. Her feet dragged under her body, her metal hand pressed against the brick wall for some kind of support.

She needed… she needed… What did she need? Help? Freedom? Her thoughts were so jumbled and confused that she couldn't even focus on what she needed to do to help herself or everyone else. She paused at the end of the alleyway, panting. A book shop caught her eyes and suddenly her thoughts told her she needed to find a map.

Forgetting her loss of strength, she bolted towards the shop and threw open the door. The shopkeeper looked at her quizzically and walked around the counter.

He might have asked her if she needed help with anything, but she wasn't listening. Staggering through the rows of books, she found a map and spread it out on the floor.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Maggie ignored him and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. A droplet of the crimson liquid fell onto the center of the map. Taking a deep breath, Maggie pressed her hands on the center of the map, letting the blue static pop and dance around her. The pain was back, but it was more like a tickle along the base of her neck.

The droplet of blood turned into a tiny iron ball and rolled along the map.

"Alphonse Elric. Alphonse Elric. Alphonse Elric." She chanted his name like a spell, the iron ball circling a city name before rolling to a stop to become a pin that pierced though that point on the map.

Wheezing, Maggie opened her eyes. "Liore."

**A/N: Well, merry Christmas guys! This is kinda short but I wanted to get it out here before I started the next bit. Ugh, I'm running out of ideas! **

**And if you're wondering about the fortune telling bit…**

**Apparently if you are a Scorpio, then you can tell your future by focusing into a bowl of water. Mirrors are said to see into our soul- so Maggie could have been using her own soul to tell the future. As for the map… I guess it's a bit of improve.**

**Guys, I've been researching lung transplants and holy poop. I have no idea how to get her lung back and keep its historically accurate and FMAB accurate. **

**Thank you all for your support! Please Review!**

**If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all!**


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE  
Maggie found it hard to sleep on the train. The back of her neck burned and the pounding headache didn't help the exhaustion she felt. Curled up on her seat she watched the scenery fly by in a blur of colors. The train was silent; she'd picked the last train to leave for this reason. Military officers were still looking for her and she didn't the bright light of day to give her away. Still, the quiet made her feel alone and isolated.

The wool clothing she was wearing rubbed against the tender skin on the back of her neck. The tattoo would be red and puffy for a few days, but it was easier if it was permanently on her skin. The magpie transmutation circle wasn't a gorgeous tattoo but it was one that she would bare; for her sins.

When Maggie finally fell asleep she was plagued by horrid nightmares that shook her and rattled her restless soul. Everything was blurry, but the color of blood and the screams and shouts of pain were clear. Ed's voice was very distinct and if she could focus she would hear Al's voice strong with fear and worry. As tears began pouring down her cheeks, she heard Al's gentle voice whispering to her that everything would be alright.

"Wake up. Just wake up."

Maggie sat up with a start. Her chest heaved with anxiety as she ran a hand through her hair. The sky outside the window was painted a hew of pink and purple and orange. Her stop was next.

X*X*X*X

Liore was different from any place Maggie had been to before. While the buildings were crumbled and destroyed from civil war, it was still an oddly beautiful place. A few of the broken statues were so strange that she paused to admire them. The people were friendly and pointed her in the direction of the boy in armor.

It was strange how fast her heart beat walking along those dusty streets. Maggie did have a few glances sent her way but she wrote it off as just her stupid hair and old, moth eaten clothes. Children played in the streets while every working body helped rebuild their city, and she smiled. It was a glorious thing to see a place pick themselves up and brush the dirt off their feet after such an awful event. She only wished there was a way she could help.

When she did finally spot Al her heart felt like it was in her throat. He had his back to her, busy helping carry a stack of planks. That strange blond man was with him, grinning sheepishly at the suit of armor. Her feet refused to move her forward all of a sudden.

This was a bad idea, she told herself as doubt began to fill her soul. She'd slow him down. She could be his downfall- his Achilles heel. Maggie felt the air leave her chest, her mind went blank. This was such a horrid idea, why was she there? He had probably already forgotten about the pitiful girl who thought the world of the soul without a body made of flesh and blood. She was nothing but a nuisance.

Maggie took a step back, ready to run away, far, far, away. The blond man turned at that moment and spotted her.  
"Oh," he mumbled, drawing Al's attention.

The suit of armor turned and froze. At first he barely recognized her. Her hair was longer now and a different shade of red. Her left eye was green now, no longer hidden by an ugly eyepatch, and the clothes she wore could hardly be considered clothes, they were rags. Purple semi-circles outlined the rim of her eyes and she seemed tired and thin. It was clear she'd been through hell and back just to see him.

"Maggie?" He said aloud, not expecting the girl to turn and bolt down the road.

Al dropped the planks and raced after her. Why was she running? What was she afraid of? He prayed she wasn't suddenly afraid of him. He called after her but she screamed at him, telling him to leave her alone. But why would she travel all this way just to run away from the boy whose heart she had stolen?

When he caught her, he scoped her up in his arms and held her tight. She was crying, her sobs shaking her frail body against his chest. After a moment of struggling, Maggie gave in and wrapped her arms around Al.

"Please don't ever run away from me." Al pleaded, desperately wishing he could hold her with his real arms and not ones he was in fear of crushing her with. "I don't think my heart could take it."

X*X*X*X

"So that tattoo gives you, like, fortune telling powers?" Winry asked, leaning on the edge of the tub.

Maggie blushed and glanced down at the bubbles. She felt like a child having to be watched after while taking a bath, but after the three dizzy spells she'd had half an hour before she didn't want to risk drowning. But it was still awkward.

"I guess you could put it that way." Maggie mumbled, scooping up a mountain of bubbles to hide her small chest with.

"Oh! Tell my future!" Winry seemed so cheerful, that Maggie didn't have the heart to tell her no.

Maggie held out her hands. "Give me your non-dominant hand."

Winry did with a little frown of confusion.

"Your dominant hand will tell you past while the non-dominant will tell your future." Maggie explained, calmly running her index finger along the lines of Winry's hand.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the pins and needles feeling returning to poke up and down her spine. Her brain felt fuzzy and blurry. Then she opened her eyes and took a deep look at the other girls hand.

"By the shape of your hand you have the element of air. Your heart line tells me of a strong interest in only one person in particular and that your current life is full of nerves and worry. Your life line predicts a long and happy life. By the dashes here, I see two children- a boy and a girl. One husband, I am told by this line. And this line, says-"

Winry tugged her hand away, a deep red blush burning her cheeks. Maggie swallowed, she felt light headed and dizzy and the water had grown cold, giving her goosebumps. She placed a hand on her forehead, trying to steady her thoughts.

The two girls stared at each other, before Winry stood and left the room.

X*X*X*X

Later that night Maggie resumed her nest on Al's lap. Rose found it odd that the strange girl found it comfortable to sleep on his metal lap, but Maggie didn't say a word. In fact, she hadn't said a word since her bath. Rose had found her collapsed on the floor of her bedroom, a towel wrapped loosely around her tiny body.

Al had tried to talk to her while she lay awake on his lap, but she only smiled sadly and wiggled closer to his chest. He watched her until it became too painful. He knew of the transmutation circle on the base of her neck- the magpie transmutation circle she'd created in order to find him.

He tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear and found her cheeks damp. Bowing his head, he prayed for her smile again. He prayed for anything to make the pain in his hollow chest go away.

**A/N: Did everyone have a great Christmas? I did. And now that I have an iPad I hope to get out more chapters faster than before. I hope.**

**I did a bit of research on fortune telling- there are a lot of methods I've never heard of! The palm reading one I knew a bit of.**

**Anywho, thanks for the support, you guys are awesome! Please review, I read all of them and they make me smile! But if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing! Thank you**!


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX  
Al wasn't quite sure how it happened, but the next morning Maggie was missing from his lap. He jumped to his feet, the blanket and pillows falling into a heap at his toes. Rushing down stairs he stumbled into Rose who was shocked to find him so distraught.

"Have you seen Maggie?" He asked quickly, trying to calm himself down but it wasn't working.

Rose set down the shirt she folding and stared up at the suit of armor. "She asked for a bucket of water about an hour ago. Why?"

Al didn't answer, instead darting off towards the door. He was afraid she'd run away again and if that had happened, she was too weak to protect herself. After her strange behavior the night before, he was afraid to leave her alone until he was sure she was alright.

But there she was, crouching over a bucket of water, arms hugging her legs to her chest and chin resting on her knees. Al paused, quietly observing her. It didn't seem like she was breathing or moving and she wasn't blinking. With slow movements, she raised her fist and dropped a pebble into the water, watching the ripples within the bucket.

A minute passed. Then two. Then three. After five minutes of staring into the water, Maggie suddenly frowned and snarled angrily. Grabbing the bucket by the handle, she stood and threw it against the wall beside her. Al rushed over to her, terrified at the sight of the girl he deeply cared about howling and clawing at her face and throat.

"Maggie! Maggie, stop it!" He shouted, grabbing her tiny wrists to stop her from tearing at her own flesh.

She growled and hissed and twisted in his grasp like a wild animal. It sounded like she was speaking in tongues because no mortal language sounded so broken and garbled. He continued to beg her stop but she didn't seem to understand what he was saying.

"Al! Al, what's going on?" Winry stepped out of the house with Rose and Van in tow. She gasped and covered her mouth in horror when she spotted Maggie contorting her body around Al's metal grip.

Van narrowed his eyes. "Alphonse, what happened?"

Al glanced over his shoulder towards his father, worry clear in his voice. "I don't know. I found her looking into a bucket of water and then she just snapped!"

Maggie screamed, her chest heaving as a dribble of blood oozed from her lips. Van stepped closer and stood in front of the feral child. Gold eyes swept over her thin body, noticing how her green eye seemed vacant and hollow.

Van looked up at his son. "Did she put anything into the water?"

"A pebble, I think."

"I see." Van pinched the spot where her neck met the junction of her shoulder, scooping her up into his arms when she collapsed.

"What's wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?" Winry fretted behind Al as they followed him into the bed room.

Van laid Maggie on the bed and gently flipped her over so the tattoo on the back of her neck was visible. He frowned at the sight of it and ran a finger down the red ink.

"She said she created this by herself, right?" He asked, turning back to the group behind him. Winry nodded grimly.

"I've seen this once before, in an old text book." He pinched the bridge of his nose, bushing his glasses up as he closed his eyes in thought. "Legend has it that an old woman who was believed to hold the ability of clairvoyance created a circle similar to this in order to wield all of the abilities associated with fortune telling. However, she never accounted for equivalent estrange and each time she used her abilities, part of her soul was taken as payment."

Al shivered at the thought of losing Maggie. At the thought of bits of her soul being sucked into the same void that held his body and his brother's arm and leg.

"What happened to her?" Rose asked timidly, wringing her hands.

"She disappeared." Van turned his back to them and examined the tattoo again.

He noticed strange writing around the edge of the circle so small it must have been written with an extremely thin needle. It was in a language that he'd never seen before, making it impossible to decider. Then he saw it. At the bottom of the loop of gibberish was Tabula Rasa; "blank slate".

"She's paying with her sanity." He said softly, bowing his head.

X*X*X*X

Maggie groaned and rolled over onto her belly. Something damp slipped off her forehead and fell off the bed. Her muscles felt like they had turned into stone and her mouth was as dry as a desert. A candle flickered on the nightstand beside her but her vision was too blurry to make out much else.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

Van was seated on a chair next to her, wringing out a washcloth to place back on her head. He smiled weakly, his glasses reflecting the dim candle light.

"Wha... What happened?" Her voice was hoarse and cracked, reminding her of an old woman. She winced at the pain talking caused her.

Van dabbed her cheeks with the wet cloth. "I wouldn't talk so much, you need to heal up for a bit."

She was breathing heavily, but she noticed that it seemed easier to do so now. Her mouth was opened, letting out tiny wheezes, and her large green eyes stared up at the odd man who had always given her a strange feeling.

"I hope you don't mind, but I fixed up the area where your lung used to be." He bent back over the bowl of cold water and dipped the cloth back in. "The doctors didn't close the left bronchus well enough. So I fixed that. Were you aware that your lungs are poorly grown? I'm sorry I can't fix that, but I wish I could."

Wringing out the wash cloth, he folded it and placed it on her forehead. "I also fixed your transmutation circle. You know it's dangerous to sell your sanity for someone else's fortune? Now all you'll be giving up is bad memories or something less dangerous."

Maggie closed her eyes and silently thanked him.

X*X*X*X

_It seemed like she was looking into a mirror- except, it wasn't her own reflection staring back at her. It was a boy, one who seemed oddly familiar. His soft bronze eyes gazed at her with warmth and hope and his beautiful lips curved into a kind smile. There was a screen of glass separating them, and he pressed his hand against it._

_Maggie reached out, touching her finger tips against his through the glass barrier. The boy grinned, his hand melting through the glass and he grab her, pulling her through. He held her close, like they were dancing among the twinkling stars of the sky. He spun her around, then pulled her close against his chest, her lips brushing against his like a static shock._

_"One day. One day. One day. One day." The boy hummed, gazing at her lovingly. "One day soon."_

_Then he let her go and she plummeted back to earth._

Maggie woke with a start, groaning at the pain moving caused her. It felt like an elephant had sat on her chest.

"Maggie, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" Al asked from the chair that once held Van. He held his hands out, ready to help her if needed.

She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. His voice... Why did it sound so familiar?

"It... It was a..." She struggled to speak and Al was quick to retrieve the glass of water on the nightstand and help her drink.

Maggie lay back against the pillows, her skin pale under the dim candle light. Her eyes were half lidded and Al was sure she'd slip back into a deep slumber within seconds.

"It was a nice dream with you..." She mumbled, a smile dancing on her cracked lips.

**A/N: Back to back posting! I still need to finish the anime, so it might take a while after this. I guess this chapter is just filling. I hope I kept everyone in character, especially Van. He's a hard character to do.**

**It was hard to explain the thing with her lungs and the circle. For the lungs, she was born early and as a developing fetus, the lungs are the last organ to develop. For the circle... Hmm... I guess he could have used his blood or something... I don't really know.**

**For anyone who doesn't know; clairvoyance is a spiritual vision or inner sight. Basically, you can get information from an object or person without using your six senses.**

**The bucket of water is hydromamcy- which is using water to see things. There are five different methods that can be used, but I picked the one that seemed like it fit.**

**Please review! If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. Thanks!**


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN  
When the sun peeks over the tops of the buildings, painting the sky in a hew of yellow and orange, Al sighs and shifts in his seat. Maggie was still sound asleep, her breathing even and slow, her pink lips parted slightly. She was laying on her stomach, the sheets twisted around her legs and pulled down off her torso from her restless slumber. Her tiny fist, made of metal fit for the cold of Briggs was curled against her chest.

She had survived the night, which had caused the sigh of relief. Standing, he leaned over the bed and carefully untangled the sheets from around her body and draped them neatly over her sleeping form. Maggie mumbled in her sleep and smiled.

Al let out another tired sigh. Part of him wished she'd stayed in Central, but he new it was dangerous for her to be there. Now that she had this new fortune telling ability, anyone could use her for their own gain. Which was probably why Bradley was hunting for her, he must have known that Maggie would figure out the magpie transmutation circle sooner than later.

Still, the other half of him was thankful that she was by his side again, where he could look after her and keep her safe. Al tenderly brushed a strand of cinnamon colored hair away from her cheeks, where a bit had stuck to the corner of her lips. He prayed that the fates would be kind to him and allow him the chance to be with her properly, and not as a metal suit full of empty promises.

X*X*X*X

It was mid afternoon when Maggie awoke. Al and the others had left to help with the building, but Rose stayed behind to look after her. Maggie managed to eat half of a ham and cheese sandwich and part of an apple while Rose was busy serving lunch to the hungry workers. When she returned, Maggie politely asked for a cup of tea with the leaves in it, if possible.

Rose sat on the edge of the bed while Maggie sipped the tea, explaining what she was going to do with it when she was finished and why she requested that the leaves be left in the water.

"I'm going to predict the future of the next few months." Maggie said calmly, taking a sip of the plain tea. She missed her earl grey.

Rose stared at the young girl in wonder. "Why only the next few months? Why not-"

"I've already seen the future. I know how their journey ends." The red head turned her attention to the window. Al was helping a few men lift bricks up to the roof of a house. "But not this towns outcome. I want to make sure we are safe here."

Finishing her tea, Maggie swished around the last drop before pouring out onto the saucer. Rose leaned over and peered into the cup with her. The wet tea leaves clung to the sides of the cup and formed out shapes that each girl saw differently.

"I see... A fish; good fortune in wealth, happiness, and health. I also see," Maggie turned the cup, frowning. "A glove; there will be challenges. An ostrich, indicating a travel. And a..."

Maggie cut herself off and set the cup down on the saucer with a gentle clink. Her jaw was set tight, there was something she was hiding but what that something was she wasn't going to tell.

"And nothing else. We're safe for the time being." Her tone was cold and her gaze focused on the widow beside the bed. "Thank you for the tea. It was very insightful."

X*X*X*X

Later that afternoon, just before dinner, Maggie slipped away. Her muscles were still sore but somehow she managed. The image of the claw in the tea cup ran shivers up her spine. There was a hidden danger in Liore and she wanted to know more about it. The thought of telling Van or Al did cross her mind, but they would insist that she stay behind and she wasn't having that.

From time to time, while wandering around the dusty city, she would pause and press her palms to the ground. After a moment of listening she would turn and go another way or carry on. Finally she was led to the old church of a false god she had never heard of. Maggie ran her fingers along the smooth stone of a statue in thought.

Like someone was tugging on her hand, she was drawn towards the basement. The pulling feeling stopped at the end of the passage, where the rest was flooded with water. With a frown, she clapped her hands and created a pathway through the dark water. She could only form little stones that she jumped onto, one by one.

At the end she came across another pathway by a huge hole in the wall. It was dark and shadows consumed her. Feeling around the room, she pressed a hand to the stone wall letting the earth give her sight. Maggie let out a long sigh.

"There you are. We've been looking for you." Out of the darkness came hundreds of eyes, all narrowed and evil looking.

Maggie gasped but remained calm. Crouching down, she hugged her knees to her chest, watching the eyes.

"You can't come this far can you?" She asked, wide eyed.

It remained silent.

"I see." Letting out another puff of breath she ran a hand through her hair. "What do you want with me, then?"

"You can see into the future, can't you?" The eye sneered, spinning a little like it was grinning. "That's a valuable asset to have."

"I predict the future. But you can't change what's going to happen." Maggie stated angrily. "I've seen the future. I know what happens, and you can't change that. No matter what you have me predict."

The eyes remained silent for a moment, then said, "Then what good are you?"

Maggie laughed nervously. "That's something I ask myself everyday. However, I've picked a side and it's not with you."

"I see." The eye spun again. "Father would like to see you."

"I'm not going."

It seemed like the eye was smirking at her. "How about we make a deal? You go see Father and I leave this place alone for a few months. What do you say? I'm sure you've seen this coming and already know what to say."

Maggie stood and rubbed her forearm with her metal palm. It was true. She had seen it while staring into the water. She saw the outcome, knew what the Father was going to ask, going to do.

"I'll leave in two days."

**A/N: Goodness it's been a while since I've updated! Did everyone have a great New Years? Urgh, I've fallen madly in love with the walking dead- it's fatal. So updates may be a little slower, but I am determined to finish this fic. It's the longest one I've done and the most popular. So thanks! You guys are awesome!**


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Just like she had promised, Maggie left for Central a day later. She left during the night, requesting that she sleep in her own bed by herself. Al thought it was an odd request, especially for Maggie, be decided that everyone wanted their space every now and then.

However, in the middle of the night when she was sure that everyone was fast asleep, Maggie carefully climbed out the window. It was on the first story, so she didn't have much of a climb down. She closed the window and darted into the shadows. Then she left Liore for good.

X*X*X*X

_Dear Alphonse,_

_Don't look for me, I am no longer in Liore or under your kind care and protection. It seems that I have made a deal with the Devil and must follow through with my word. Because of this, the people of Liore, and your group, are safe there for a few months._

_I have seen the future, Al. I see good things for you and your brother. Just know that hardships stand in the way of those things. Trust and believe in yourself, like I trust and believe in you. We'll meet again someday soon. I promise._

_Maggie_

X*X*X*X

Her little booted feet hurt. She'd walked miles upon miles from the train station. A guard had spotted her and recognized her from her wanted status, quickly chasing after her. Maggie's knees were bruised and scraped and her palms had cuts on them from falling over to much. However, thanks to Hohenheim, she found it a little easier breathing and didn't have to stop as often as before.

Still, the journey was long and tedious. Grunting, she plopped herself down on an old tree stump and tugged off her boot. A few rocks and a twig slid out and clattered to the floor. She sighed. It was nighttime and she didn't have a place to stay. Grumbling to herself, she slipped her boot back on and proceeded to knock out a few pebbles from the other.

Finally she tilted her head back and gazed up at the stars. As they twinkled in the dark blue hew of night, Maggie felt her heart swell. Jumping to her feet, she went to where the constellations told her to go and soon found a little shack. Light flooded the ground outside the windows and shadows slaughtered by, shivering against the pools of light on the grass. Glancing up at the sky for help, she nodded and headed towards the shack.

When she pushed the door open, she was grabbed by her collar and roughly lifted off the ground. Screaming in surprise, she kicked out her legs hoping to hit him but she was too short.

"W-wait! Stop!" Ed shouted, grabbing Maggie from the burly man's arms.

Maggie clutched his white coat and stared at the big men with watery eyes. "People-Monsters," she mumbled.

"Who's the girl?" Came a voice from behind her.

Maggie turned to see an Asian boy greedily eating some kind of stew. The tattoo on the back of his hand didn't go unnoticed by her green eyes and she bit her lip, her grip on Ed's sleeve tightening. The boy looked up at her with narrowed eyes before shifting his gaze back to the blond teenager.

"This is Maggie, she's a friend of mine." Ed sighed, picking up a blanket to wrap around the girl's small form. "Maggie, this is Ling."

"Maggie? You're not Magdelena Westfield, are you?" Ling asked, setting down the bowl. He lent forward and rested his forearms on his knees, peering at her.

Maggie could only nod. The room felt dense, like it was filled with hot steam that was slowly choking her. She didn't like the presence of the two chimeras or the intense gaze given to her by the teenager with the odd tattoo.

"You're not going to Father, are you?" Ling enquired.

Ed snapped his gaze down to the redhead huddled at his side. Her face was blank, void of all emotion like a perfect porcelain doll. After a moment Ed realized that her silence was her answer. The two men behind them grunted and made a comment about Maggie wanting to be some kind of martyr. Slowly, her head twisted to the side, glaring at the men with cold glassy eyes from over her shoulder.

"They'll kill you. I hope you know that." Ling added, noting how her left hand balled at her side. It was metal, like Ed's.

"K-kill her? Why do they want you in the first place?" Ed stuttered, grabbing her tiny flesh hand in his and holding it in both of his larger ones. "You're not going! I won't allow it! What about Al, Maggie? He's already lost the most important woman in his life, don't left him lose the second."

Maggie slipped her hand out of his and slapped him across the cheek. Ed stepped back, pressing a hand to his pink cheek. It hadn't hurt, in fact it was almost like she'd hit him across the face with the head of a tulip. But it was the gesture that stung.

Tears welled in her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. "So I get to sit back and watch you and Al get hurt? I _felt_ it, you know."

Ed's eyes widened when she pressed a hand to her side, exactly where the metal pipe had gone through Ed's body.

"I can see the future now, Edward. I've seen it all, how this ends. Who wins. Everything. And I know that I need to do this." After a moment of staring into Ed's liquid gold eyes, she pulled her hair back and showed him the tattoo on the back of her neck.

Ling stood and placed himself behind Ed, peering over the younger boy's shoulder for a look at the transmutation circle. The prince couldn't read it nor understand it, but by the look on his friends face he guessed that it wasn't good news.

"I cannot tell you the outcome of your journeys, or it will alter the future." Maggie whispered, shoving as Ed ran the tip of his finger along the circle, reading it, understanding it. "Father probably wants to get answers out of me- to put his future in his favor. I'd rather die, and he knows that."

"I'm not letting you walk to your death." Ed hissed, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around to face him. "Look, I know a place where you can hide until this is over. But you have to promise me you're not going to do anything stupid."

Maggie stared at his little finger for a moment, then curled hers around it. "Promise."

**A/N: I'm so sorry! It's been forever since I last updated! Forgive me! I was unsure of how to carry on with this- and a shout out to Alicia who gave a lovely suggestion I kind of used as fuel to this little fire. Thank you!**

**Sigh. After a long fight with myself, I have decided to drop my own personal writings to focus on a dew fanfictions which actually give me less stress than my personal ones. So, if you follow me- I will be starting a Walking Dead Fanfic and a Boondock Saints fanfic. I've been churning some ideas for another American Horror Story fanfic, but my last one didn't go so well and caused a hiatus.**

**Anywho, when Maggie looks up at the stars she is using Astrology- or a form of it.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviews and favorites! You guys are amazing!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A year and a half later

While the winds of terror swept over central and Liore, Maggie was wrapped up quietly in Rush Valley. She hated it there, but she'd made a promise to Ed and she wasn't about to break her promises. Where she was, nestled in a little cabin in the mountains, she had her sixteenth and seventeenth birthday there, celebrating it on her own.

Her hair grew back, crimson on the top and cinnamon at the bottom. She was still small, holding onto her doll-like appearance but the roundness of her cheeks had gone and she seemed more delicate. A few of the town boys had tried to woo her, but she turned them down, stating that she had someone waiting for her at home.

When she received word that it was all over and it was safe to come home, she returned to her little red brick house. Inkling was waiting for her, all grown, with another cat by his side- a pretty grey one with blue eyes. She fondly named it Cheshire and allowed it to stay with her for company.

Maggie was lonely again, the empty house more like a coffin than a home. Instead of sitting around she busied herself with her job at the library and telling people's fortunes from time to time for spare change. Anything to keep her mind away from the crippling pain she felt in her chest.

By now she was sure that Al had forgotten about her and moved on with his life. Left alone in her small little world, she would curl up at night and cry herself to sleep. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't died like Sophira, Albert, and Kimblee. She wouldn't be so lonely then.

One summer day, she was washing some dishes in the kitchen. Two beautiful magpies preened each other outside the window and she couldn't help but sigh sadly to herself. Two for joy, but she didn't feel any joy.

Then Maggie felt it. It was as if there was a shift in the air or a faint whisper in her ear. Her feet took her to the front door, where Inkling was pawing at the old oak wood. Throwing open the door, she found the Ed standing with another boy at her gate. Ed raised his hand in greeting, grinning broadly. The second boy seemed pale and thin, but he smiled kindly.

"I'm sure you don't recognize-" the youngest Elric brother barely had time to finish his statement before Maggie had bounded down the steps towards him.

Nothing could stop her from wrapping her arms around his frail form. Tears streamed down her cheeks as he held her back as tightly as his old body would allow. It felt amazing just holding her without the fear of crushing her. She was still tiny in his arms but he was sure she'd feel the same until he regained his strength.

"Thank God," she whispered, pulling back in order to cup his cheeks.

Al placed his hands over hers and stared into her eyes. She was more like a woman now, no longer that doll-like girl with rounded features. In his eyes, Maggie was perfect. He couldn't help himself, it had been a dream of his to kiss her, and he'd waited long enough. Ed turned his back, giving his younger brother some privacy.

Al dipped his head, and raised her chin with a gentle finger. Her lips were soft and warm and she tasted like cinnamon and hazelnut. When he finally pulled away, Al drank in the pink color of her cheeks.

"Marry me." He murmured against her lips.

Maggie grinned and gently pressed her lips to his. "Yes,"

X*X*X*X

Later that week, the three of them traveled down to Rosembol to visit Granny and Winry. It was lovely to see them, but the eldest Elric couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched his brother dance around the yard with Maggie. They were in their own little world, laughing, and teasing each other. Al only had eyes for her and it was funny to think that as children Al had wanted to marry Winry.

They were an odd pair, Granny Pinako had pointed out. Al was tall and broad, looking just like his mother. He was also kind hearted and soft spoken. Maggie was tiny, her metal arm seemed out of place on her and her new emerald eye glittered in the summer sun. She still collected things and preferred the quiet, but would sit in Al's lap for hours, the pair of them talking until the sun rose.

He was so calm and gentle with her, it almost made Winry jealous. But they had their awkward moments. A few nights into their stay at the Rockbell home, the couple attempted to have a go at their first time.

It wasn't the most magical moment of their loves. Shooting stars didn't rain over them. Angels didn't sing in their honor. Al's face was so red with embarrassment that he felt lightheaded and dizzy. Maggie kept her arms clasped over her chest and her knees locked together until Al used all his strength to pry them apart.

The pain was so surprising for Maggie, that she screamed, causing Al to tumble off the bed in shock. Ed burst into the room seconds later, investigating the cause of the shriek. Al scrambled for something to cover himself with and Maggie pulled the sheet up over her head. Ed slammed the door shut afterward, debating on whether to use soap or gasoline to wash his eyes out with.

Maggie cried for the rest of the night with Al, still as naked as the day he was born, lying next to her, utterly paralyzed over the fact that his brother had just walked in on them.

**A/N: omg slowly coming to an end. I've been so busy lately, I'm afraid that I have to finish this soon. It's been a fun ride guys, I love writing fanfics so if you follow me wait around and I might have a new fanfic posted sooner or later.**

**There's one last chapter, and this roller coaster will come to a stop!  
Thank you for the reviews! They're always lovely and motivate me!**


	30. Chapter 30

Final Chapter:

Maggie didn't even know she was pregnant, but it ended in a lot of blood she ruled out as a heavy period.

The second time she was pregnant she knew. It was Mei who had detected the second little presence inside her. At first Maggie was petrified. Her, a mother? She wasn't cut out for it, but she wasn't willing to get rid of something so precious. Two days before Al was due to return home from his trip with Ed, two days before she was going to surprise him with the news, she awoke to a pool of blood between her legs.

Al came home to a distraught Mei, who was on the phone with Winry when he walked through the door, and a wife who had locked herself in her room. When Mei explained to him what had happened, he calmly broke open the bedroom door and closed it behind him. Al was soft and gentle with her, and his soothing words seemed to heal her broken heart.

"We'll try again." He promised with a tender kiss on her forehead.

The third time Maggie refused to believe she was pregnant. She believed that if she acknowledged the baby, then it would leave her like the last. She didn't tell Al, or Ed or Winry, though Mei had declared the second presence within a month of conception. Al was a little disappointed with Maggie's actions, but went along with it. At night, when his wife was peacefully asleep, he would press his ear against her swollen stomach and coo to the baby inside. Maggie knew he would do this, and it took every ounce of self control not to smile when he did.

Maggie's water broke at exactly midnight on a Thursday night. Hawkeye, or rather Riza Mustang, was called in Al's panic and Mei was forced to shove him in the hallway. Riza had already given birth to two of her own children and was swelling a third. Since no complications had arose, a doctor wasn't called until it was too late.

Maggie gripped the pillow she was using to smoother her face in. Hot tears soaked the goose feather pillow. She sobbed long and hard, weeping uncontrollably. There was a quiet stillness around her. A hand reached out and lightly touched her shoulder, unsure of how to console her.

"Al, I'm sorry…" Riza's voice, even and tender. "But it was a stillborn. There was nothing we could do."

She failed. The child she was meant to carry in the warmth of her body. The child she was meant to hold with their love and welcome into the world; was dead.

Al didn't say a word and if he did, she didn't hear him. He silently entered the room; his sad gaze falling on his wife's shaking form on the bed. Bloody sheets. The lingering smell of metal. Riza gently handed him the bundle. It was a boy, she told him. It was tiny, like its mother, with tufts of honey gold hair. Its skin was blue, yet soft when he rested his forehead against its little crown, tears whispering down his cheeks.

For a while after they wondered if there was a hope for children in their future. Maggie would watch her niece and nephew with sad eyes and soon slipped into a deep depression. She feared that all of her childhood nightmares would come true. She was afraid that Al would leave her for a woman that was healthy and could bare children. God, Maggie felt like a failure. Al deserved a woman that could take care of him, a woman that could give him dozens of little children and not heartbreak after heartbreak of lost children.

Al left for Xing with Mei and during that time, Maggie reverted back into the odd state she had lived in as a child. When she went to the market, she would collect things and store them under their bed. She rarely left the house and often didn't leave her bed for days at a time. She never answered the door or telephone and when word of this reached Al, he went straight home.

He found his fragile wife asleep in their bed, Inkling and Cheshire curled up at the foot of the bed. The state of the house told him that she had barely moved since he'd left and that all she ate was bread and cheese.

In the faint light of the crescent moon, Maggie looked pale and surreal. His heart sank at the thought of his wife, the woman he loved with all his heart, was suffering while he traveled with another woman. Her miscarriage had taken a toll on her mentality and while he should have been there to console her, he was somewhere else.

Leaning over her sleeping form, he kissed her, salty tears racing down his cheeks. Maggie stirred and gazed up at her husband whose tears rained down on her soft cheeks. At the sight of him, she began to weep.

They made love under the light of the moon, hoping and praying that this time they could be blessed and not cursed. Their touches were soft and light like feathers, and his kisses were kind and sweet. Her moans were whispered chants and prayers. And after they had loved each other roughly and softly and all in between, he held her in his arms and kissed her cheeks,

"I love you." He murmured in her ear.

"I love you, too." She whispered.

The next winter, during a blizzard- the worst the Rosembol had had in centuries- Maggie went into labour. She was a month early and Christmas dinner was postponed while the baby was born. Ed tucked his children in quickly and stood outside the door while Winry and Mei delivered the baby.

The snow raged on outside, making it impossible for a doctor to make it to the house if something went wrong. Al paced the hallway outside their room, running his hands through his hair. Ed sat with his back against the wall and watched his brother warily. There was nothing he could say that was comforting. He had only wished that Al, of all people, didn't have to go through the pain of losing two children.

Maggie screamed and howled until the wee hours of the morning. Then finally it stopped. The house became still and silent and then-

A baby wailed from behind the door.

Al breathed a sigh of relief and turned towards the door. Mei exited with a bundle in her arms, smiling tiredly at the two men waiting outside.

"It's a girl." She sighed, handing the baby to Al.

The youngest Elric stared down at the child he and his wife had waited for for so long. It was like holding a doll. His daughter was tiny and pink, with tufts of ginger hair and the eyes that stared up at him were a beautiful caramel color.

"And Maggie? Is she okay?" Al asked, tearing his eyes away from his daughter.

Mei smiled. "Winry's cleaning her up right now. She's exhausted, but she says she wants to name the baby Hope."

Ed slung an arm over his brother's shoulders and peered down at the bundle. "Welcome to the family Hope Elric. We've been waiting for you."

**A/N: So, after a short while, this fic has come to a end. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited- you all are awesome! I know that this ending seems abrupt, but I wanted to finish this but I didn't have to time to carry on. But thank you all! **


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